


Whale, whale, whale

by rhincoln



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blow Jobs, Epic Friendship, First Time, Friends With Benefits, Hand Jobs, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Semi-Public Sex, rhink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-24 18:42:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7519105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhincoln/pseuds/rhincoln
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the day, it's all sunny beaches and warm touches and the ocean. At night, strange noises can be heard from Rhett’s bunk.<br/>And why did Rhett bring a stuffed Shamu to the beach resort, anyway?</p><p>— written as part of the Rhink Summer Ficathon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Natas (ElectricDove)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElectricDove/gifts).



> prompted by:
> 
>  

 

Link had to admire Rhett’s dedication and consistency. When they’d stopped in Jacksonville on their way to Surf City, Rhett had changed into his swimming trunks, claiming that he’d just run onto the beach straight out of the car — _that’s_ how much he couldn’t wait to see and feel the ocean.  
  
Link never expected him to actually follow through with it.

****

As soon as Gregg, who was the one to drive the last portion of the way, parked the car behind the house they’d rented for this and the next two days, Rhett opened the back door and shot out of the car, taking off his shirt and flip-flops as he ran across the warm sand and straight into the ocean. Well, Link didn’t exactly see him run into the ocean, but he imagined that that’s what he did.  
  
The rest of them - Link, in the company of Mark and Gregg - piled out of the car slowly, each digging his own bag out of the trunk of the car before making it to the back porch of the house.  
  
Link still shook his head and tutted over Rhett. He even had half a mind to follow in Rhett’s footsteps down to the beach, but he thought better of it and stayed put, looking up at the house as Gregg opened its back door.  
  
The wonky screen door had to be rattled until it opened, and Mark warned Gregg not to jostle it too hard so as not to make it come off its hinges. The house itself did look a bit worn down, but was overall as pretty as it was plain. It was not overly big, with a blue siding and a white trim, and lots of windows. It was a part of what could very loosely be called a beach resort. On its left and on its right stretched a string of houses not unlike the one they’d rented, all aligned with the sandy beach and the grand Atlantic.

****

Link followed his friends inside the house, telling himself he would not look out the kitchen or dining room windows to try and catch a sight of Rhett. He didn’t care about Rhett. Sure, he would go and get Rhett’s bag from the trunk, but he dubbed that second priority - he decided to survey the house first.  
  
The ground floor consisted of a hallway that opened into a living room, which also doubled as a dining room, which led to a kitchen on one side, and a staircase beside which the doors to a small restroom were. Up the staircase, which curved into another hallway, one could walk to either of the three bedrooms, or a slightly bigger bathroom. Link climbed up on his own while Mark and Gregg hung around downstairs, and was just finishing with his inspection of the two single bedrooms when Gregg jogged up to meet him in the third one.

The third one, which was next to the bathroom and had an additional door leading to it, came with bunk beds.

****

“Hmmm.” Gregg hummed.  
  
Link sighed and rolled his eyes before silently complying to the unspoken question or order - he placed his bag on the bottom bunk.  
  
“Of course Link will room with Rhett,” Link stated when he turned back around to face Gregg.  
  
Gregg had an apologetic smile on his face. “At least y’all have an en-suite,” he said, lifting his snapback so he could scratch his bleached head of hair.  
  
Link chuckled and nodded. It was true, and anyway, it wasn’t like he minded sharing with Rhett - a crazy part of his brain even came up with the notion that he might _prefer_ it. In any case, he couldn’t imagine Mark or Gregg rooming with Rhett instead of him.

****

Gregg’s smile grew into a slightly happier one and he disappeared back into the hallway quickly, yelling “Surf city!” at the top of his lungs as he zoomed around the first floor, probably looking at the rest of the rooms himself.  
  
Link laughed as he made his way back downstairs, out the back door and to the trunk of the car. It was when he opened the trunk that he heard some shuffling, and then what sounded like footsteps nearing. He raised his head up in the direction of the noise just in time to see Rhett running toward him.  
  
“Hey,” Rhett greeted him, winded.  
  
“Hey,” Link said, “thought you were in the ocean…?”  
  
The side of Rhett’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “I was. Just went to check the temperature, I’ve been waitin’ on ya man!”  
  
Link smiled and ducked his head, which made him notice Rhett’s legs which were wet up to the knees.  
  
“Thought you couldn’t wait to go swimming,” Link said curiously.  
  
“I can’t, so, come on!”  
  
Link laughed, “Gotta go upstairs and change.” He was about to tell Rhett to go down to the beach alone as well as offer to take his bag upstairs like he’d intended, but it wasn’t long before Rhett was reaching over to take his own bag and close the door of the trunk. Link took those few seconds to collect himself after the sudden change of plans and when Rhett looked over at him expectantly, he was ready to lead the way upstairs.  
  
They heard the voices of their other two friends coming from the kitchen as they walked. They were halfway up the stairs when Link spoke, “They made us room together again.”  
  
“Aw, really?” Rhett asked curiously, not sounding overly disappointed, Link noted.  
  
“Yeah,” Link huffed out a laugh, looking over his shoulder and down at Rhett’s smiling face, “Even on vacation we gotta be bunk buddies.”  
  
“There’s bunks?” Rhett asked, now laughing.  
  
“Yep,” Link confirmed, shaking his head. “Can’t seem to leave us be.”  
  
“Nah, it’s not so bad. We don’t have such a bad time, do we?” Rhett teased, and by this time they’d made it to the room. Rhett dropped the bag by the bottom bunk, on the floor.  
  
Link rummaged through his own bag for his swim trunks as he mumbled, “Just remind me to remind you that we gotta vacation separately in the future, alright?” he said, not entirely maliciously, making Rhett chuckle. Rhett gave no answer, though, maybe because he had no time to - soon enough Link was on his way to their _en-suite_ bathroom, utilising it for the first time to change into his trunks.

****

As he undressed and redressed, Link thought about having to room with Rhett. As it was through their entire first year of college, it would undoubtedly be fun. Sure, living with Rhett, being so close to him, did seem strange at first, but Link soon found that he liked it. He liked having Rhett there, even if Rhett let his hair down too easily and walked around their room back at college stark naked, or awkwardly spent a bit too long in the bathroom at times. Rhett always told him about everything, there were no secrets between them, but hearing Rhett talk about jerking off and hearing him, though it happened only once so far, jerk off through the bathroom door, was drastically different.  
But Link wouldn’t change it for anything, wouldn’t swap Rhett for anyone. Gregg was a great guy too, but nothing could top the late night talks he was now able to have with Rhett, now that they lived together. Link dreaded the day they would have to move each to his own place. Sometimes he thought that it was better to think that such a day would never come.  
  
When Link opened the bathroom door, his clothes bunched up in his hand, Rhett was sitting on the bottom bunk, looking up at him.  
  
“Ready to go?”  
  
Link smiled at him. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

****

The beach wasn’t overly crowded. More than a few people were milling about, but there was definitely space for them to put their towels.  
Link was the one who remembered to bring their towels, and the sunscreen as well. They spread the towels on the sand and Rhett squeezed out a bit of sunscreen to put on his own nose. He offered the sunscreen to Link, who looked at him curiously.  
  
“Ain’t you gonna put some on your shoulders and stuff?” Link asked, making Rhett shake his head nonchalantly.  
  
“Nah, it’s like five pm, the sun ain’t that strong, bo,” Rhett said. It was true, the sun was just about to set behind the tall tips of the pine trees in the west, stretching the shadows out on its way down.  
  
Link nodded, and then bit his lip as he paused for a second. “Well, could you, um, will you do me?” he asked, pointing at his back.  
  
Rhett nodded quickly. “Sure, turn around…”  
  
Link did as instructed. Rhett squeezed a bit of sunscreen into his hand and dropped the bottle onto the towel before pressing his palms together to spread it apart a bit. He pressed his hands to Link’s shoulder blades and moved them up and down until his entire back was covered.  
  
Link gulped, unmoving as he felt Rhett’s hand rubbing his back. Rhett continued massaging the sunscreen in, and when it was all rubbed in so much that Link’s back was almost dry, Rhett ran his hands down the sides of Link’s waist to get rid of some of the remaining sunscreen on his fingers.  
  
“All done, bo,” Rhett said quietly, voice a bit tight. It was weird and Link had to fight the urge to shiver, so instead he looked at Rhett over his shoulder and smiled, and then started running toward the water.  Rhett shouted his name indignantly before laughing and following him. Whatever weird moment transpired was now broken.  
  
In the water, they just swam quietly, never moving too far from each other. They returned to the shallows when they saw Gregg and Mark standing on the shore with the water up to their ankles, hands in pockets as they talked.  
  
Rhett and Link joined them, and a mutual agreement that it was too late to rent surfboards and that the waves weren’t that great anyway closed their talk for the day. The two best friends moved away from their two other friends then. Link quickly ran into the house to put the sunscreen away and get his wallet, and with their towels draped over their shoulders they walked along the shore a bit to check out what was there. Two houses from their own was a surf shop that doubled as a gift shop, and a bit further down there was a restaurant that doubled as a bar. By this time, the sun had set, and Link was insisting on having a drink.  
  
Rhett told him he’d wait for him, and sat in one of the vacant beach chairs as he waited for Link to order from a pretty girl in a sundress who worked at the bar outside.  
  
“Just don’t take that glass too far!” Rhett heard the girl warn Link, and turned to look as he smiled and replied with something noncommittal.

****

Link climbed down the sandy slope onto the beach and walked over to the chair he spotted Rhett sitting on. One person could lie down in it, which meant that the two of them could sit side by side comfortably.  
  
Link sat down and slurped some of his drink in silence, humming contently at the sweet taste before he noticed Rhett looking at him raptly.  
  
“You want some?” Link offered.  
  
Rhett shook his head minutely, but not in a way of saying no, more in a way of shaking himself out of a trance. “What is it?” he nodded toward the glass.  
  
“Sex on the beach,” Link said, and promptly giggled, making Rhett roll his eyes.  
  
“What’s in that?” Rhett asked, unable not to smile.  
  
“Uhh. Orange juice and vodka, and some other stuff I guess. Here, you can have this straw, dunno why she gave me two.”  
  
Rhett nodded and leaned over to take a small sip. Link suckled on his own straw, looking at him intently. Rhett looked up to meet his eyes and promptly pulled off, smiling a little as he turned to look ahead of himself. “Yeah, it’s good. Real good.” His voice was quiet and odd again, like when he’d put on Link’s sunscreen.  
  
Link gave him a sweet smile, one Rhett couldn’t see because he was looking ahead, and continued drinking. It wasn’t long before he’d drunk the entire thing, and despite being alcoholic, it didn’t leave him with too much of a lightheaded feeling. It was just one glass, he reasoned.  
  
They went back to their room and Rhett did a bit of unpacking as Link showered, and vice versa. When he returned, Link could see the Shamu plushie Rhett once got at SeaWorld perched on the top bunk, and shook his head at it. He couldn’t figure out why Rhett still carried that thing around, but he supposed Rhett had a sentimental reason for keeping it all these years.  
  
Link started unpacking his own stuff and spread the towels they’d used that day on the windowsill of the window he’d opened. When Rhett returned from his shower, he was naked, and Link quickly busied himself with something else so as not to have to look at him directly.  
  
“Hey, Link?” Rhett asked, and Link gulped. He turned his head to the side to cast a glance at Rhett, and immediately regretted it, his face heating up as he looked away quickly.  
  
“Yeah?” Link answered in a strained voice, hoping Rhett wouldn’t notice him blushing. Why was Rhett so dang weird?  
  
“You mind if I sleep naked?” Rhett asked tentatively, “I never get to do it, and we’re on vacation, so like, what the heck, y’know?”  
  
Link forced a smile and nodded. “Sure,” he forced himself to look at Rhett, but his eyes stayed firmly fixated on Rhett’s face. “Do whatever you want.”  
  
Rhett smirked and nodded, and then bounded up the small ladder and into the top bunk.  
  
Link caught a glimpse of his backside and blushed profusely, trying to think of something to say so as not to think of it. “You don’t mind sleeping upstairs? I mean, climbing and that, ‘cause of your back?” Link asked, moving to turn the light off.  
  
“Nah,” Rhett said, sighing contentedly as he lay down on his back, “Thank you.”  
  
Link nodded retreated to his own bunk, where he lay awkwardly, his hands folded on top of his middle. “Goodnight,” Link said, and it came out so tight and so _weird_ that he wasn’t even sure Rhett heard him.

****

“Goodnight,” Rhett whispered back, and Link could hear the smile in his voice. For some weird reason, he wished he could see Rhett then, wished that Rhett was closer.  
  
“Goodnight,” Link mouthed once more, eyes on the mattress above him, and closed his eyes, ready to drift off.  
  
A few minutes later, already almost asleep, Link squeezed his eyes before opening them. He’d heard the weirdest sound, akin to a moan, but it might’ve just been his sleepy brain that supplied it.

Another one, a sort of groan. Link’s eyes widened and his breath picked up only slightly, because it sounded like it was coming from Rhett.  
  
Another moan, and by this time Link was beginning to fear that Rhett was in pain. The mattress above him moved, and then both of the two bunks rocked slightly with the force of Rhett’s movements. Link sat up in bed and placed his feet on the floor quietly.  
  
The movements ceased for a moment, making Link think it was a nightmare that got Rhett all worked up, and now left him be. But then Rhett moaned again, and Link got up from the bed and called out a soft, “Hey,” before he could stop himself. No movement came from upstairs, Link couldn’t even hear Rhett breathe.  
  
Link climbed onto the first step of the ladder so he could peer in and check in on Rhett and asked, “Hey, Rhett, are you o-”  
  
Link froze when he saw Rhett, and a moment later he quickly climbed down and turned his face away.  
Rhett was on top of his plushie, his ass up in the air, as if presented for Link to see. The moonlight enabled Link to see just enough, and at the same time, too much. Rhett’s face, flushed and pleasured and wrecked, down on the pillow, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Link… It wasn’t something Link thought he could ever get out of his head.  
  
But now Link was back down on his own bed, sitting with his bottom lip caught between his teeth as he pondered over the situation.  
  
“Link,” Rhett called softly, audibly nervous.  
  
“It’s fine,” Link shot back quickly, moving back to lie down on his bed, trying to get his breathing under control.  
  
He could hear Rhett moving about, and his ears strained to hear every movement. After a few moments, Rhett seemed to have settled down, and didn’t say anything more. Neither did Link.

  
Idly, Link thought of whether or not Rhett got to come before Link interrupted. Thinking about that certainly didn’t help the already hard situation in Link’s boxers.  
Link figured that seeing Rhett pleasure himself just reminded him of what he could be doing to himself. It wasn’t like the sight of another guy, especially Rhett, excited him. Still, Link made no move to take care of himself. He could force himself to be quiet, that wasn’t a problem. It’s that, with the image of Rhett still fresh in his mind, he feared that he might enjoy it just a bit too much.  
  
Link turned onto his side and looked at the moonlight through the window, still worrying his lip between his teeth. His ears were attentive to any and all sounds coming from Rhett, and when after what seemed like hours he heard Rhett’s breathing slow down as he undoubtedly drifted off, Link was ready to fall asleep himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> references [this masterpiece](http://api.ning.com/files/3N7BcgqSCcS7AjR484DUE1OxmqWHNlSS1MWn3WvJjyu*pYEtloZvMpdqc0K*hkzNcexJr35-F8y1Y2xS6B234X0YmTY4KQ02/tumblr_n992owXQJA1tfn4fao1_1280.png?width=721).

Link was the first to wake up. Groggily, to the raucous sounds of his temporary housemates coming from the other side of the door, he got up and wobbled over to the bathroom.    
  
Only there, as he flicked the tap to wash his face, did anything come to him. He looked at himself in the mirror, and then, to the sound of wasting water, he stared to the side, at one of the bathroom doors - the one he just came through, the one which led to their room. The room that housed their beds, and one of those beds still held his very nude best friend.    
  
It was a good thing that Link forgot all about him when he woke up, that he didn’t spare him a single glance. It was what he would do when he went back to the room for his swimming trunks.    
  
But now, finally remembering to splash some cold water over his face, all sorts of things from the night before came back to Link. Rhett’s soft skin in the moonlight, the curve of his waist, the swell of his ass.   
  
Shaking his frenzied head, Link banished the memory from his mind. He picked up his toothbrush, squeezed just a bit too much toothpaste onto it, and never brushed his teeth more violently. 

****

He forced himself to make it three minutes, during which the images of Rhett kept coming back to his mind, unbidden. The toothbrush landed on the sink with a clatter, the toothpaste was thrown into the cupboard which was then slammed shut. Link took a deep breath, trying to get over himself. He’d seen Rhett naked before. This was nothing new, nothing to get worked up about. Usually he’d be grateful for a peek at Rhett. So he could compare with him, and, well -   
  
Uh.   
  
Link decided he wasn’t about to make today weirder. 

In fact, he decided it wasn’t going to be weird at all. He was not only not going to think about the previous night in any weird way, he wasn’t going to think about it at all. It wouldn’t affect their short holiday, and Link would make sure of it.   
  
With a new, cheerier attitude, Link opened the bathroom door and stepped into their bedroom. He was fully prepared to see Rhett naked, and he couldn’t care less. If Link saw him, it was Rhett’s problem. It was only that when Link stepped into the bedroom, Rhett was already dressed, darn him.  _ No,  _ not  _ darn him. _ Not anything, because it was like this: Link couldn’t care less, couldn’t have less of a reaction to Rhett’s state of dress or undress.    
  


“Hey,” was Rhett’s breathless-sounding greeting, and Link rushed past him to the window. Under the pretense of picking up his towel, Link tried to hide the blush he most probably wore. For a brief second, he thought he couldn’t do  _ this. _ _  
_ _  
_ “You okay?” Rhett asked, an almost apologetic tone to his voice.   
  
Link spun around, towel in hand, and gave him a wobbly smile. “Sure. Yeah. Yes.”   
  
“Link, I’m sorry about last night, I thought you were asleep-”   
  
“No,” Link interrupted him hysterically, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”   
  
“Okay…” Rhett said testily, looking at Link closely. “I’m still sorry. Musta’ been gross to see another guy all up on, ahem,” he chuckled nervously, baring his teeth in an apologetic grin. “Heh… Right?” he took a step closer, making Link back up quickly until his back touched the wall.    
  
He barely noted anything that Rhett was saying, with the guy standing so close. What was worth noting was that when Link said that Rhett was now dressed, he meant only barely. All he wore were his swimming trunks - which, not that Link cared, or anything.   
  
“Y-you wanna go down to the beach?” Link asked, having had enough of the subject of Rhett’s late-night…  _ affair. _

****

“Yeah,” Rhett answered enthusiastically, a relieved smile gracing his lovely features. Link liked him so much better like this, without the concern twisting his expression and dampening his mood visibly. But then Rhett’s face fell for a moment again, “But-”   
  
“Great!” Link said, and pushed past him once more. When he was near the door, he turned to face Rhett again, and asked “Could you bring the sunscreen?”   
He nodded toward the bottle on the dresser and disappeared out of Rhett’s sight before Rhett had a chance to reply.   
  
Link was already opening the front door when Rhett caught up with him with not only his own towel and the sunscreen, but a frisbee in hand.    
  
“Hey,” Link beamed, “That’s a good idea,” he said, looking down at the frisbee.   
  
“Thought we could play some, since the waves don’t look to be much yet,” Rhett said casually, shrugging his shoulders, but Link could see that he was pleased. “Mark and Gregg are gonna bring something to eat, and then later we can play.”   
  
Link nodded and silently they made their way down to where the water met the hot sands. They put their towels not far from the water, and Link sat down on his, his legs folded up with his elbows resting on his knees as he looked over the waters, enjoying the warm, salty breeze which swept his fluffy hair back. Rhett plopped down next to him and set about putting sunscreen on. He covered the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones easily, had a bit of trouble with his shoulders, and could absolutely not reach a single spot on his back, never being the more flexible between the two of them.   
  
Link watched him curiously, his face scrunching up into a sympathetic grimace as he watched Rhett struggling to apply sunscreen to his back.   
  
Link rolled his eyes and sighed, and moved to stand on his knees. “Let - let me do it,” he offered, but it was more like an order, because Rhett didn’t get his chance to accept or decline before Link was kneeling behind him, palm outstretched for Rhett to place the bottle into. 

****

Once Link had it, he squeezed a liberal amount of the cream into his open hand, watching Rhett wipe the cream he still had on his hands onto his thighs. The sight made Link’s stomach churn, so slight he barely felt it, but it was a pleasant and unnerving sensation. Touching Rhett’s skin felt good too, no matter how pasty it was, no matter how awkward it felt - and it must have for Rhett too, he was holding his breath the entire time Link did it, shivering a little every time Link’s fingers brushed an unconventional spot like his armpit or the waistband of his trunks.   
  
“Sorry, sorry,” Link would say, making Rhett look over his shoulder at him and reassure him that it was fine.    
“I’m just worried about your back hurtin’, or something,” Link would explain, making Rhett’s gaze soften.    
  
“No, no,” Rhett would reply, a sort of amused tone to his voice.    
When it was time for Rhett to return the favour, he swapped places with Link and immediately began talking. 

  
“Though I did sleep weird,” Rhett said, and then paused for a bit to clear his throat. Link wanted to laugh, but managed to rein it in.    
  
“Mhm?” Link simply mused.   
  
Rhett rubbed the sunscreen in slowly as he spoke, “Yeah,” he scoffed. “Thought I’d be fine in the top bunk, and I mean, I was, my back doesn’t hurt, and last night I was in such a rush to get to bed I didn’t even think about the height, but this morning when I woke up, man… Well. Scared the crap outta me.”   
  
Link doubled over, laughing before turning around to face Rhett, still giggling. Rhett sat back on his heels, wiping the excess cream onto his own chest, grinning toothily.    
  
Link couldn’t stop giggling, and he was grateful for it, since it seemed like some of the awkwardness dissipated.    
  
“Reminds me of Slovakia,” Rhett said, looking beyond Link and the water lapping against the sands.    
  
“What, the Atlantic?” Link snorted.   
  
Rhett let out a short laugh and diverted his attention back to Link. “No, dumb-butt. Sleeping on the top bunk. There was this guy I shared a room with who thought the ladder would break if he climbed it, so I had to sleep upstairs. Also gave me a scare the first morning I woke up.”   
  
“Huh,” Link said, and then he remembered something. Something that must have visibly made his face fall, because Rhett was all up on him in a second.   
  
“What? What is it?”   
  
  


Link snickered, though it was really not nice of him to have done it. “Um. Well, can’t have been too scary, ‘least you had Shamu to keep you company.”   
  


Rhett’s face seemed to drain of any colour and then redden to the shade of hot sauce in a matter of seconds.    
  
“I didn’t - I only - Link, I’m so-” he rambled, making Link quickly put a hand up to stop him.   
  
“Don’t sweat it,” Link said reassuringly, bringing the hand back into his own lap, “It’s okay, Rhett.”   
  
“You sure?” Rhett asked, grimacing.   
  
Link nodded firmly. “Yeah.” He paused for a few moments, averting his eyes before looking back at Rhett. “You can do the thing if you wanna, I, uh… I understand.”   
  
“Yeah?” Rhett asked meekly, raising his eyebrows.   
  
“Yeah,” Link confirmed softly.   
  
“You too,” Rhett added, making Link scowl.   
  
“I don’t wanna hump your plushie,” Link deadpanned, and it forced a snort out of Rhett, but his nervousness seemed to return immediately.    
  
“No, I meant… Y’know,” Rhett said quietly, looking away.   
  
“Oh,” Link gave a nervous laugh, looking away. He sought for something to distract him, and ended up shouting an overly-enthused greeting at their slow-approaching friends, who he could see if he looked past Rhett’s head. Rhett turned around to look too, and before long two more bodies were occupying the towels they had spread out. Rhett was quick to accept the sandwich Mark brought him, and Link kept looking at Rhett as he chatted to their friends. When Rhett turned to pass Link his own sandwich, Link snapped out of it, the small smile that had been on his lips falling.   
  
They ate chattily, and Link’s eyes kept going back to Rhett, who seemed to look at anything and anyone else, but him.    
  
Same when Gregg put the lid on the food container and they abandoned their place in the sand to go and play frisbee. Link could admire the way Rhett’s muscles rippled and the way his feet moved smoothly across the sand while also making sure to also be attentive of the frisbee, while Rhett didn’t spare him a single glance.

****

After a while of this, after all he received from Rhett were warnings of what to do with the frisbee and a few encouragements and congratulations here and there, Link had had enough. In an attempt to get everyone to take a break, he cautioned how dangerous it was to be out underneath the glare of the sun for so long, and especially at midday. Reluctantly, everyone agreed, but even if that stopped the game, it didn’t stop the fun. Gregg suggested they go down to the restaurant and get something to eat, and that they should leave their towels out on the beach, since no one would probably touch them. While Link understood this, the prospect of leaving his things on the beach, even if it was just a couple of towels, a frisbee, some sunscreen and a tupperware container, made him incredibly anxious. He offered to take the stuff inside when he went to get the money, saying it would be no problem, that they should just head down to the restaurant.    
  
“I’ll help,” Rhett offered, making Link’s gaze snap up to him. Slightly surprised and weirdly very happy, Link nodded, and together they piled the stuff into their arms. Link picked the house key up from Mark, and they told them they’d see them later.    
  


-

  
The inside of the house was surprisingly cool, which made for a wonderful respite from the heat outside.    
  
“Ah, man,” Rhett groaned, making Link’s ears tingle.    
  
“Hm?” Link squeaked, looking at Rhett as the latter rummaged through one of the drawers to get their money. “So nice in here, I could just stay in on the couch all day.”   
  
Link laughed, “I know, I know. But c’mon, we gotta make the most of this, we’re on vacation,” he said, trying for excitement. It made Rhett smile, so suffices to say that Link was pleased with the outcome of his argument.   
  
They locked the house again and trod their way over the beach to the restaurant, just about to ascend the wooden steps to the boarded terrace of the restaurant when they were stopped by a cheery voice.    
  
“Hel-lo,” a sing-song voice greeted them, making them pause before backtracking and turning sideways to face the bar to their left. “You guys care for a drink?” the bartender offered, and Link noted that the pretty girl from the night before had been replaced with a tall, dark-skinned guy. Who, Link noted,  _ some _ might consider to be just as pretty as the girl from the night before.    
  
Rhett looked at Link, a question in his raised brow. Link shrugged, and Rhett stepped toward the bar, leaning his elbows on it as soon as he was close enough. “Alright. What the heck, y’know,” he said to both the bartender and Link, who nodded and joined him.   
  
The bartender grinned and picked up a glass to polish as he asked, his eyes glued to Rhett’s, “What do you want?”   
  
Link opened his mouth to order, when Rhett, face deliberately nonchalant so Link could see, plain as day, that he was shy, said: “Sex on the beach.”   
  
Link was about to say something, again, when the bartender huffed and considered Rhett a bit before speaking. “Well…” he said carefully, leaning in a little, setting the glass he had in his hands aside. “I don’t get off till two… But after that, we can arrange something…” he teased. Link cast a shocked glance at Rhett, steeling himself for the other’s reaction. Rhett looked at the guy with wide eyes, the tips of his cheeks reddening - and Link knew it wasn’t because of the sun. 

****

“He’ll just have the drink,” Link butted in when he saw Rhett wasn’t about to showcase his  _ outrage.  _ Link stood right next to Rhett, making the bartender shoot Rhett one final smile before he turned to face Link himself.   
  
“And for you?” he asked Link casually as he picked out a glass, making Link have to tamp down on his sudden anger in order to reply politely.    
  
“I’ll have the same, thanks,” Link said. When the bartender turned around, Link looked at Rhett, and caught Rhett already looking at him - funnily, he might add.   
  
“Thanks, Link,” Rhett said quietly, his brows scrunched up in curious amusement.    
  
Link narrowed his eyes at him, making Rhett laugh. “What  _ was _ that?” Rhett asked, and Link’s own cheeks felt suddenly hot.   
  
“What was what?” he asked, making Rhett smirk, the smug bastard.   
  
“Why’d you have to go and snap at him?” he whispered, leaning in so as not to let the man in question hear them. “Sure, it was kinda funny, but it was also sorta flattering-”    
  
Link’s mouth actually dropped open for a second, but he was quick to compose himself when the bartender placed their glasses in front of them.    
  
“Here ya go,” he said brightly, smiling more at Rhett than Link again, making Link bristle silently. It wasn’t that he was jealous of any attention Rhett was getting in any way, it was just really freakin’ impolite of this guy to just come up and be all over Rhett, and Rhett didn’t even seem to mind. When Rhett paid and they took their drinks to carry them up to the terrace, Link’s indignancy slowly but surely came back.    
  
“It was really unprofessional of him,” Link reasoned, when they were halfway up the steps. Rhett paused, turning around to watch Link as he talked. The close scrutiny only made the heat in Link’s face worse. “A-and you’re not even gay anyway…” Link said.   
  
Rhett pressed his lips together as he seemed to consider it for a moment. “Maybe not. But I’m on vacation,” he said, after which he honest-to-God winked.   
  
Link’s breath caught in his throat, and he spluttered for something to say. It was the weirdest thing for Rhett to say, and the thought of Rhett going with that guy made him sick to his stomach, for obvious reasons. Instead of countering with “you have me,” which was what he really wanted to do - seriously, Rhett didn’t need anyone else to keep him company, and if Rhett was missing some gay company, Link would even consider adjusting to that - Link delivered a low blow: “But… You have Shamu.”

  
Rhett did something that Link had to say he was expecting: he burst out laughing. He kept laughing as they climbed the stairs up to where Gregg and Mark were waiting for them. 

****

“What’s with the gay drinks?” Gregg asked when he saw them, their iced cocktails in tall glasses, with pink straws and red decorative umbrellas stuck in.    
  
Rhett laughed again, and Link couldn’t help but to smile as well.    
  
“Cocktails,” Link simply replied, sitting down next to Gregg in one of the wooden chairs, while Rhett opted for the chair across from Link, next to Mark. “Want a sip?” Link asked cheerily, making Gregg scowl.   
  
Gregg’s derisive expression slowly let up, and he shrugged one shoulder and reached to take the glass from Link. He decided on not using the straw, probably because he thought that would have definitely been pushing it too far. That would have been the last straw, so to speak.   
  
“Hmm,” Gregg hummed, evidently pleased, but had no time to give his input on the drink before the waitress appeared. She asked them if they wanted anything to drink as they waited to order food, and Mark simply said he wanted a beer. Gregg, however, asked for “one of those” while pointing at Link’s cocktail glass.   
  
Once she disappeared back inside the restaurant, Gregg must have noticed Link looking at him curiously because he immediately spoke, “It’s good. What is it, Long Island Ice Tea?” he asked, all cocktail-mogul-like.    
  
“Ah. No…” Link said, a smile playing at his lips, “It’s Sex on the Beach,”    
  
Gregg snorted, then the snort turned into a high-pitched laugh before he finally managed to get the punchline out, “You’re drinking that ‘cause that’s the only action you’ll see this summer.”   
  
Link smiled, “That why you ordered one too?” he asked and took a sip from his straw.   
  
Rhett’s laugh was immediate and boisterous. Link’s smile only widened, and Gregg mimicked the laugh annoyedly, turning to Mark who smirked, looking between the three of them.   
  
“I’ll always have your mom,” Gregg then told Link, and boy, it was so expected, Link didn’t even have it in himself to roll his eyes.   
  
“You don’t even know who my mom is - hell, you’ve never even seen a photo of her,” Link said, and then all of them shut up, even Rhett’s chuckles ceased, as the waitress came back with their drinks and menus.    
  
Once she was gone, Gregg spoke up. “I don’t need to know what she looks like, I know what she sounds like. And she sounds hot,” he said, probably thinking it would rile Link up.   
  
And truth be told, it did, a little bit. “When’d you speak to my mom?”    
  
“Don’t you remember when she called a coupla’ days ago? When Rhett and you were off beatin’ your dicks or something,” Gregg’s tone was almost back to conversational, and Link had no time to be indignant at Gregg’s choice of words, ‘cause yeah, he did remember. Rhett and him had come back from a shared class with a new revelation - Link’s name was reminiscent of the word “length” and Rhett’s of “breadth,” they came to their room and immediately put it up on the board. Seeing it, Gregg had made every possible innuendo and flat-out reference to the male genitalia, and Link couldn’t blame him. Maybe a little, since he thought that a guy who spelled “your” as “yore” had no business making fun of him, or Rhett.   
  
“Aha,” Link nodded, taking another sip of his drink. Looking at Rhett, he saw the other looking down into his glass, the slight blush still on his face - had it lingered from the time with the bartender, or was it a newfound thing? Could have been new, because, as Link just remembered, talking about anyone “beating off” could have been reminiscent of the awkward situation they’d found themselves in the night before. Or maybe it was the image Gregg had put in that sentence, of them having done it together, that ruffled Rhett.    
  
“Anyway, speaking of Sue,” Gregg began, now taking a long sip through his straw, “She told me to take photos of you and Rhett since y’all always forget.”   
  
Rhett huffed and finally spoke, “Yeah, I remember you asking us to pose in front of the whiteboard.”   
  
“Yeah well, Sue wants some vacay photos too, so get ready,” Gregg said, smiling at Rhett. Turning to Link, he raised a finger and warned, “No stupid faces this time.”   
  
-   
  
Link wasn’t going to look stupid, he was going to look tough. It was a thought that held its grip on him all through lunch and after it. The only time it left him for a bit was when Rhett accidentally brushed his foot against Link’s under the table, and Link almost embarrassed himself by dropping his fork.   
  
But now they were back at their spot on the beach, reclining in the sand as they waited for Gregg to go and get their stuff from inside the house. He greeted them by dropping everything on the sand between them, making the sunscreen and the frisbee fall onto Rhett’s front.   
  
Rhett, in turn, greeted him with a “What the  _ heck?” _

****

“C’mon!” Gregg said enthusiastically, “Wake up and pose, c’mere.”

****

Rhett shook his head and gave Link a warm, knowing smile, which Link did his best to mirror. He wondered if him smiling at Rhett gave Rhett the tingles like it did to him.   
“You want to be in the photo?” Link could hear Gregg ask Mark as he got up, looking at Rhett’s tall frame, zoning out just a bit.    
  
“Don’t give a fuck,” Mark said, shrugging, and accepted the camera to take the photo. Gregg and Rhett stood next to each other in front of Mark, and Link stood next to Rhett. Rhett’s hand immediately went to Link’s shoulder, and the other, in which he still held the damned frisbee, he put around Gregg’s shoulders. Link was about to put his hand on Rhett’s waist when it collided with Gregg’s, and then Mark was lifting the camera up, and Link had no time to think about where his hand would be, but what face he would make. He went for tough, puffing his chest out to show off a little before Mark took the photo. Link had been working out, and he wanted it to show. 

****

He exhaled when the photo was taken and Gregg moved to take the camera from Mark, already planning their next group escapade before Rhett even removed his hand from around Link’s shoulders. With him standing so close, Link noticed that he didn’t mind the warmth Rhett was emitting, even if it was sweltering out. Rhett also smelled nice, like oranges and coconut scented sunscreen, like remnants of frosty deodorant and the sea breeze. 

****

“You going?” Rhett asked, slowly retracting his arm from around Link’s shoulders, smiling softly.    
  
“Huh?” Link had to admit he may have zoned out.    
  
Rhett chuckled. “We’re going surfing. You coming with?”   
  
“Oh, right. Of course.”   
  
-   
  
Link had forgotten how nice it was to just let go and ride the wave. The waves on this particular day were a blessing, and he revelled in the freedom and danger of cutting across the turbulent water. He felt removed from everyone and everything except nature and the moment. It obviously made him feel very poetic, very in-touch with himself, especially when he tumbled headfirst under the wavy surface of the sea. When he had done so multiple times, more than one of those being because he was trying to catch sight of Rhett on his own board and this last time being one of them, he opted for what he’d seen Rhett doing, which was paddling over to the shallower parts of the water and lying down on his board. Looking at Rhett doing that made the wave knock Link over because he was attentive to it and not the wave, but it wasn’t as bad as the time when he saw Rhett’s body undulating like the sea itself as he controlled the board and the wave, making Link practically fall off the board himself, without the assistance of a wave.    
  
By the time he reached Rhett, who was lying on his front and looking to his side as the waves slowly rocked his board, the sun looked as if it was just about to set.    
  
Link paddled over and lay next to him, letting the water lap gently against the board and keep him afloat next to Rhett.   
  
“Hey,” Rhett said softly, smiling as he saw Link approaching him.    
  
“Hey,” Link said, and a few moments of companionable silence followed.   
  
“You looked good out there,” Rhett said suddenly, folding his arms under his head and propping it onto them, making his board wobble a bit.   
  
Link almost scoffed, because he knew it wasn’t true - he needed a bit of time to get into surfing again, but something, maybe the way Rhett was looking at him, compelled him to smile. “Thanks,” he said, “You too.”    
Rhett gave no reply. Link’s eyes followed the slope of his slightly tanned neck and down his strong arms to his hands, which were wrinkled from the water. If Diane saw those wrinkled fingers, she would have banished Rhett from the water a long time ago. The fact that she wouldn’t see Rhett’s hands on this day made Link feel odd, but in a good way. It reminded him that they were older now, free to be on their own and do what they want. This was the first time they went alone, together. Neither of them acknowledged it out loud, but Link felt that Rhett had come to the same realisation, and it was a thrilling feeling.   
  
“You cold?” Rhett asked, making Link’s gaze flick to Rhett’s face.    
  
“Uh, a little.”   
  
“Thought so,” Rhett said, and moved his hands so he could pull Link’s board a bit closer. He reached over and almost brushed his fingers against Link’s lips. “Your lips are blue, brother.”   
  
Link brought his own shaky hand to his lips, and Rhett turned to dismount his own board. They were in the shallower part, but not the  _ too  _ shallow part - still, Rhett’s height allowed him to stand on the soles of his feet.    
  
“C’mon,” Rhett said, “Let’s go out.”   
  
Link appreciated the concern and complied - a blue lip didn’t sound so good to him, and he was a bit anxious about it himself.    
  
Link climbed off his own board and jumped into the water, feeling Rhett’s hand brush against his waist as he did so.    
  
“Sorry,” Link said nervously, trying to keep himself afloat, since it was too deep for him to stand.    
  
“It’s okay,” Rhett said quietly, and must have noticed Link’s feet couldn’t touch the bottom. He grabbed him by the arm, and helped drag him into shallower water, while Link pulled his board along. Once they could both tread water, they made it out to the sand, and Link threw his board down and lay next to it, only then realising just how tired he was. He was significantly warmer on the sand, though, and was grateful to finally be out of the water, no matter how wonderful it may have been.    
  
Rhett sat down next to him, leaning back on his hands and looking down at Link. “You still cold?” he asked.   
  
“Nah,” Link said, exhaling slowly. He sat up so he was in much the same position as Rhett, and as he did, his knee bumped against Rhett’s own.    
  
Link looked ahead at the steadily calming sea and then turned to look at the red sun that was just about to dip behind the forest of pine behind their backs.    
  
He could hear Rhett huff of a laugh before speaking, “If west was on this side, I could sell you the story of the sun making a sizzling sound once it hit the water.”   
  
Rhett, who had been craning his neck to look behind himself as well, now looked at Link, and Link was looking back at him, a wide smile on his face, though his brow was scrunched up in thought.   
  
“What movie is that from?” Link demanded, “I can’t remember, but I know it, man!”   
  
Rhett grinned. “The Blue Lagoon,” he said.   
  
“Ah,” Link said, “That’s a good one.”   
  
“Yeah,” Rhett confirmed, looking over the waters again.   
  
“Could you imagine us getting stranded on an island like that?” Link asked, quietly, speaking his thoughts out loud. He could feel Rhett’s eyes on him, but didn’t meet his gaze.   
  
“I think it would be alright,” Rhett said, “Obviously, it would be hard, but it would be you and me, y’know?”    
  
Link finally turned to look at him - Rhett didn’t need to say anything more, Link completely understood.    
  
“What would you take with you to a deserted island, if you could take like, only three things?” Rhett asked, a curious gleam in his eyes that made Link smile. Rhett leaned in and his knee bumped against Link’s, but he didn’t move away.   
  
Link paused to consider it. “Hmm. Well. Would you be there?”  he then asked, and Rhett nodded to confirm it. “Then I don’t know. Whatever.”   
  
Rhett didn’t reply, just looked at him for a little while. His gaze was as fond as Link’d ever seen it, and Link had an inexplicable urge to reach out and touch him, anywhere. Though the constant press on their knees was nice, and Rhett’s eyes, suddenly so close, looked as if they’d turned almost amber in the dimmed sunlight. It was all very nice before Rhett suddenly moved away. He shook his head and stood up abruptly, wiping the sand from his bottoms shakily.    
  
“I should go inside. Kinda hungry,” Rhett said, voice taut, and then paused to look at a very flustered Link. “You coming?”   
  
Link considered it for a moment, and then shook his head. “Uh, in a sec,” he replied, and Rhett leaned down to pick his board up. He put it on top of Link’s and picked both of them up to haul them to the shop they’d rented them at.   
  
“See ya,” Rhett said before Link could protest him taking his board, and turned around to leave.   
  
“Later,” Link said weakly. He turned back to face the ocean, idly picking wet sand up and throwing it into the water. He watched Rhett walk over to the shop over his shoulder before turning to the coast once more.    
  
Link ended up spending a lot more time than he’d initially planned on the shore. He couldn’t get over how weird everything felt, how the feelings between him and Rhett somehow felt as if they had changed. Not only because they were older, old enough to go on holiday with just their friends, nor due to the fact that Link had found Rhett in a  _ compromising _ position. It was unable to be explained, something more candid, something that came from the bottom of his heart. The way his mind and body reacted to the comfort of Rhett’s presence, the way he was able to notice all of these lovely things about Rhett that he seemed to have missed to notice before.    
  
How like, for example, when he came back into the house, he found a sandwich and a banana on the table, and knew that Rhett left them there for him to find. Usually, he’d think about how nice it was to have the sandwich, and now, his thoughts turned in a different direction - how nice it was to have Rhett.    
He ate quickly and rushed up to their room. Through the many windows of the house, he could see that the sun had set, but when he opened the door to their room, it dawned on him that the sun hadn’t really set. The sun wasn’t gone - he was there, sitting on the top bunk and leafing through an Alan Ford comic.   
  
Link didn’t greet him, but simply walked over to his bag to dig out some clean underwear. Something he, upon entering, noticed Rhett sporting, too, and figured that after the previous night Rhett took extra measures to be  _ decent. _

****

Link, who had rinsed himself out under one of the communal showers outside in an attempt to cool his confused head down, didn’t feel like showering again, so all that was left for him was to put on his boxers, and with Rhett on the top bunk, he figured he might as well change in the room, on the bottom bunk. Very carefully and quietly, he pulled his swimming trunks down his legs and shuddered when his nethers were exposed to the night air, and swiftly he pulled on his boxers, almost tangling his feet in them.    
  
Rhett suddenly exhaled really loudly, as if he were troubled. Link stood up slowly and moved back to look at him, and when he saw Rhett just lying there with the comic book on his face, he climbed up on the first step of the ladder and leaned on Rhett’s mattress.   
  
“You alright?” he asked Rhett, and Rhett moved the comic book away and set it aside on the bed.    
  
“God, I’m just…” Rhett paused, biting his lip as if considering whether he should tell Link or not. “I’m kinda worked up…” _  
_   
Link went from zero to if not a hundred, then at least sixty-nine, in a second. Feeling himself blushing, he began nervously, “You know you can, uh. Do what you gotta do… Listen I… I’m gonna go brush my teeth and then I’m going to sleep, alright? And then you can, y’know, if you wanna.”   
  
Link stood there for a second, looking at Rhett expectantly, but the latter gave no indication whether he was going to take Link up on his offer or not.    
  
Link had actually never brushed his teeth more quickly, trying and failing to sing Lionel Richie’s  _ Hello _ in his head to make the minutes pass by faster. He returned to their room, turned the light off and scurried into bed, not saying a word, not even bidding Rhett a good-night. Perhaps that would have been smart to do, if he was already pretending he was going to sleep.   
Instead, he lay down and tried to breathe a little less heavily, listening raptly. After some time, his eyes flicking between the streak of moonlight that illuminated the wall and the mattress above him, Link was actually beginning to feel snoozy.    
  
That was when he heard Rhett moan. It was very quiet, barely audible, but Link was very sure he’d heard it. Not long after, the bed creaked, Rhett whimpered, and it made Link go crazy.   
  
Link bit his lip, trying to tune out the sounds at first. Soon he succumbed to the want to listen in, thinking it was the thrill of being able to listen to something that was forbidden that kept him listening so attentively. There was no excuse or explanation for what he did next, which was to bring his hand down to the front of his boxers and the erection that tented the soft fabric there. He kept his hand there for a bit, just resting as he listened to Rhett’s soft moans and whimpers.   
  
In time with Rhett’s moans, and the ever-so-slight rocking of the bed, Link moved his hand over the bulge, rubbing it through his underwear. He was just about ready to dip his hand under the waistband of his boxers when Rhett gave a loud, bitten-off moan, and Link’s entire body shivered. Link pulled his legs up, bending his knees a little as he spread them apart, imagining Rhett climbing down to his bunk to touch him, unable to resist his need to ravage him. He imagined Rhett kissing his neck, his chest, and then lower; he imagined his cock stretching Rhett’s small mouth open; Rhett slicking him up, everything warm and soft and so dirty, Rhett’s cock fitting perfectly in the cleft of his ass - 

****

_ “Rhett,” _ Link whispered before he could stop himself, and then everything froze. It was like the earth stopped spinning, and time stood still.    
  
“L-link?”   
  


Link’s breath caught in his throat, and he felt like he’d been caught. He had been, but Rhett didn’t need to know that. Link thought of a million excuses that were easily accessible to him, after all, he’d only called his best friend’s name, and that best friend didn’t know in what context. It was just that Link wanted him to know.   
  
“I’m coming up,” Link blurted out, sitting up in bed, eyes fixated on the mattress above. He waited for Rhett’s response, which came immediately, quiet and timid:   
  
“I - uh - I thought you said I could-”   
  
“Rhett?” Link pleaded, knowing he must have sounded impatient.   
  
Rhett responded with a sharp intake of breath, and Link got the impression that it clicked for him.   
  
It was confirmed when Rhett spoke, quiet and strained, “Come… come on up.”   
  
Link could see the mattress above him move, and he stood up before moving to climb the small ladder. He peeked over the top of the ladder as soon as he was able to, and seeing Rhett made his stomach do a flip. Rhett was beautiful, his cheeks flush against the pallor of his face, accentuated by the moonlight. The sight of his tall, skinny frame nearly nude in bed made Link’s heart flutter. The trail of soft hair that led from his navel all the way to his thighs was partly obscured by Rhett’s arms and hands, which he brought together into his lap to cover himself. He hadn’t bothered, or hadn’t gotten to, pull his briefs up.    
  
Link climbed up onto the bed and moved the whale plushie, which lay next to Rhett, to the end of the bed beneath their feet and took the plushie’s place. He lay beside Rhett slowly, trailing his eyes up Rhett’s slim body, trying to ease the tension with a smile when his eyes made it to Rhett’s own. Link tried for nonchalance, but his own voice wavered as he quietly spoke.   
  
“Let me help ya out,” Link whispered, placing a tentative hand in the center of Rhett’s chest. He could feel Rhett tense beneath him. Rhett gulped, looking up at Link, but then quickly he nodded, stuttering out an “Okay,” so as not to let Link misinterpret his reaction.    
  
Link bit his lip and ran his fingers over Rhett’s chest, brushing over his nipples and making Rhett’s breaths come in quicker and more heavy. Link had a strong urge to lean in and press his lips to Rhett’s cheek, his jaw, his own lips. But something stopped him, some idea he had lodged in the back of his mind about not going too far. What he was doing was nerve-wracking, unnerving in regards to how much he wanted it, how hard he wanted to get his hands on Rhett. Second-guessing it wouldn’t do him good, he decided, and just like he had when he decided to climb up next to Rhett in the first place, he cleared his mind of all hesitant thoughts and trailed his hand down Rhett’s chest.    
  
When he made it to Rhett’s navel, Rhett squirmed a little, letting out a huff of a laugh. Link’s smile became less nervous, and he thought about tickling Rhett deliberately, making him relax and settle down into the pillows more easily, but Rhett seemed to be relaxed enough. Link never got to do anything he may have intended, because Rhett moved his hands from his crotch. Link could feel Rhett’s eyes on him as he stared at the point between Rhett’s thighs, where his hard cock jutted out proudly.    
  
Soundlessly, Link slid his hand downwards and wrapped it around Rhett’s length, making Rhett exhale shakily. Link moved his hand up and down experimentally, looking down at his hand as it enveloped Rhett’s cock, feeling his captivating hardness and warmth in his hand.    
  
Link readjusted, placing one arm next to Rhett’s head and leaning on it as he looked down, bringing the hand he used to touch Rhett up to lick a stripe up his own palm. Rhett’s eyes were glued to him as he did it, and as much as it excited Link, it made him feel incredibly dirty, but in a newfound, good way.

  
Link looked at Rhett’s face as he began to gently stroke him, bringing him off slowly, waiting for Rhett to let go, waiting for him to stop stifling those sweet sounds. Finally, when Link twisted his hand in a way he knew that he himself particularly enjoyed, Rhett closed his eyes and let out a moan, and Link almost gave in and caught it with his own lips.    
  
Rhett spread his legs apart, making his hip come into contact with the fabric of Link’s boxers. He kept his leg there, casting his eyes at the point of contact quickly before thrusting up a little, so he brushed against Link deliberately.    
  


Link shuddered and took the cue, moving his hips forward a little so he bumped against Rhett, his hand steadily pumping Rhett’s cock.    
  
“You like that?” Link whispered, stroking his thumb over the slit before moving his hand so that he could spread the precome Rhett was leaking.    
  
Biting down hard on his bottom lip, Rhett nodded, peeking up at Link.   
  
Link leaned his head down a little so Rhett wouldn’t see his flushed face or the fire in his eyes as he spoke. “You imagining that I’m some girl from the beach who you brought here to fuck?” he asked, only slightly wishing he could remember a specific one. But he couldn’t, he hadn’t been looking at the girls.   
  
Rhett closed his eyes and tilted his head so his nose brushed Link’s forehead, and with the way he wouldn’t keep his head still, a delirious part of Link imagined that Rhett was seeking his lips with his own.

****

“Or are you imagining that guy from the bar? You thinking about his hand around your dick?” Link asked, tilting his head up as he twisted his hand again, moving a tad faster.   
  
Rhett whimpered and pressed closer to Link, squeezing his eyes shut. “No,” he breathed, making Link’s chest swell affectionately.    
  
“No?” Link asked, moving his own hips slowly so that he was essentially humping Rhett, “Who’s got you so worked up, then?”   
  
Rhett moaned loudly and opened his eyes to meet Link’s gaze, thrusting up into Link’s hand as he brought one of his own hands to press it against his mouth and stifle his moans with it.    
  
Link dared not ask Rhett to move his hand to let Link hear him. Not because he feared that their housemates might hear them, but because he had no business wanting to hear or enjoy the sounds Rhett was making. Rhett spread his fingers apart a little to speak, just a quick, breathless, “Faster,” and Link picked up his pace.    
  
Rhett felt around with his other hand until he could find Link’s boxers, and he stuffed his hand into them, as if he were desperate to wrap his hand around Link’s dick.    
  
Link moaned, and leaned in to press his head into the pillow next to Rhett, half-lying on top of him. They moved quickly, in unison, groaning as their breaths came heavily and their skin burned, and it wasn’t long before Link shuddered, coming into his boxers.    
  
Link forced his hand to speed up on Rhett, and soon enough Rhett’s body was tensing up, his waist lifting of the mattress in a wonderful curve as his toes curled and he spurted up all over his chest.    
  
Link heaved a sigh, his body going limp, his head resting in the crook of Rhett’s neck, nose pressed against the warm skin there. He turned to look up at Rhett’s face, the beautiful, blissed-out expression he wore. Link then cast his eyes to Rhett’s chest and the mess they’d - he’d - made, and idly ran his thumb over one of the streaks of pearly white. For a moment, he wondered what it would taste like.   
  
Then, in a flash, Link was sitting up, extricating himself from Rhett. Rhett removed his hand out of Link’s boxers in compliance and retracted it, laying it on his chest as he looked up at Link with what Link was imagining to be a hopeful expression.    
  
“Link,” Rhett then said, making Link’s heart skip a beat.   
  
“Yeah?” Link squeezed out gingerly, eyes widening as he awaited for whatever Rhett had to say. A stupid smile was threatening to tug at his lips at the thought that Rhett might ask him to stay, and Link had to admit to himself that he would have loved to.   
  
Rhett paused for a bit, pulling himself up into a half-sitting position before he spoke. “Thanks.”   
  
Link nodded, still reeling to hear something else, practically leaning in towards Rhett as he waited for him to say something else, which Rhett never did.   
  
“Oh,” Link said, toughening up, twisting his face into a careless grimace so as not to let his expression be overtaken by sadness, “No problem, brother.”

****

Rhett gave him a small smile, and with a clear decision that he wasn’t going to dwell on how beautiful Rhett looked, Link made his way out of Rhett’s bed and down to his own.    
  
Once both his feet were on the floor, Link saw Rhett lay on his side to look down at him. Briefs now pulled up, Link noted with a blush.    
  
“Goodnight,” Link said, avoiding Rhett’s eyes as he went to settle down in bed.    
  
“Night,” Rhett murmured from above, and closed their talk for the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, hope you liked it! :^)


	3. Chapter 3

When Link woke up, it was to the uncomfortable notion that he was hard. It was as regular as it was uncomfortable, though, and Link couldn’t say that he hadn’t expected it. Especially with the images of Rhett’s kisses scattered through his dreams, and waking up with Rhett still on his mind.

Link decided to will his morning wood away - if anything was a bad idea, it was the one that flashed through his mind momentarily, the one of jerking off in bed. He was unsure of what the previous night meant and what it entailed, and he was not only hesitant but a bit fearful of how awkward Rhett would undoubtedly feel if he heard or saw Link doing it. Still, a tiny part of his mind dared to stray in the different direction, thoughts of touching himself, of Rhett hearing his moans and climbing down to encourage them as he had his way with Link —

Link snapped out of it before he let his hand skim further than his abdomen. The more he thought about Rhett, the harder it became for him to refrain from touching himself. He sat up quickly, making himself dizzy for a moment. He sat on his bed for a while, looking through the window at the sun which was still low on the horizon, his mind buzzing with jumbled thoughts.  
Rhett wouldn’t want him, not like that. They’d helped each other out the previous night, and that was that. Some things weren’t as easy in the morning as they were in the dead of night. Link got that, and he accepted it.

 

Link couldn’t deny that - when he stood up and saw Rhett half-naked, lying on his bed on top of Shamu with his bottom vividly on display, looking rumpled and flushed as he slept - he wanted Rhett. And not just to help him out with the situation in his boxers, no - he wanted to be up there with Rhett’s strong arms around him, Rhett’s face pressed into his hair, his scent surrounding and calming him, listening to his murmurings when he woke up.

 

Link gulped. It may have come as a bit of a surprise to him, the realisation that he was gone on Rhett. Rhett, his oldest and bestest friend, the resident know-it-all, the cocky wiseass, who had a recent obsession of working out which, well, worked out for him; with jokes that would sometimes be more befitting to a fourteen-year-old; with long, gangly limbs; coarse, light-brown hair and that prickly stubble on his goofy face; eyes the colour of the Cape Fear in early spring. Rhett was as impetuous, as hot-headed, as annoying as they came, and Link loved him more than anything. It would have been so easy to hate him, though, what with the way he would never actually go with another guy, the way he meant so much to Link that Link couldn’t risk asking him if well, maybe, he would ever consider it - and even then Link was sure that Rhett would never seriously consider him - and with the way he had opened his sleepy eyes, and had now caught Link staring.

“Mornin’,” Rhett mumbled before hiding his face in the crook of his arm to yawn.

Link paused for a moment to collect himself. “Uh. Morning,” he wished he could press a kiss to Rhett’s cheek and wish him a better morning. Suddenly, unrelated or very related, he remembered to fold his palms at the front of his own boxers, to shield a certain something from view.

When Link looked back up from his straining boxers to Rhett, he noticed Rhett’s eyes following an imaginary line up his body until he met Link’s gaze. Link gulped, an irrational part of him still hoping that Rhett hadn’t noticed his erection when he clearly had - and turned on his heel to get his trunks, speaking before Rhett could even breathe a word and tease him about it.

“Gonna change and go down to eat something,” Link informed him, and before he could rush to the bathroom and slam the door shut behind himself, Link could hear Rhett scramble to get out of bed and say, “Hold up, I’m going too.”

 

-

Link knew he couldn’t spend too much time in the bathroom, lest Rhett think something was going on in there. Link really couldn’t take any more of the scrutiny. He slipped out of his boxers and donned his swimming trunks easily, brushed his teeth and splashed some water on his face quickly. By the time the cold water was dripping down his neck with him having spent no effort to towel himself off, his erection had significantly relented, and he was ready to face Rhett. 

His sincere prayers that Rhett wasn’t naked - something which would bring Link back to square one in a matter of seconds - were answered, and when he opened the door, he was greeted with a sight of a beach-ready Rhett. 

They went downstairs in silence, with Link leading the way. It was more that Link just walked past Rhett and out the door, and could hear Rhett shuffling to follow.

Breakfast was thick, toasted slices of white bread, buttered - with “real” butter for Rhett, and peanut butter for Link. Sausage, bananas, and milk. And no talk.

Link racked his brain for something appropriate to say. There were many things he nearly blurted out, like questions about whether things had changed between them, questions if it had felt good for Rhett, when he’d touched him, offers for if Rhett wanted Link to do him another friendly favour -

Rhett’s lips, stretched around a banana, looked obscene, and Link caught himself staring much like he’d caught Rhett staring when Link himself had taken a clumsy sip of milk, spilling a bit down his chin. 

As they ate the more innocuous things, Link would still sometimes look up and catch Rhett looking at him intently, only to look away when he saw Link look back at him. Link thought it was a bit superfluous of Rhett to be looking at him like he was a weirdo. He was about to comment that if he thought that what they did was even the least bit gay, Rhett was just as gay as he was, since Rhett’s hand had been around Link’s dick as much as Link’s had been around his. 

But they weren’t gay. Of course.  
Actually, Link wasn’t sure what this was, since all he’d known, all he’d heard from his family about people who identified with the word was that they were ill, it was wrong, the only future for those kind of people was misery. On the other hand, it was defined as men who loved men, and love between two men was something that nearly made Link shiver all over with how wonderful it sounded. The thought of Rhett loving him back openly was something he was bound to spend the next month daydreaming about, he reckoned. A huge chunk of him thought that the part about misery couldn’t be true, and when he looked at Rhett, he knew that it couldn’t be true. 

Rhett was not looking away from him, and his expression was goofy, kind of like he was trying not to burst out laughing.

“What?” Link demanded, colouring. 

“You just whispered of course,” Rhett said, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips, “At your sausage. Should I leave you two alone?”

Link laughed and blushed at the implications of it, and at the fact that he’d spoken his thoughts out loud. Still, as he looked at Rhett, the first thing that came to him was to nervously squeeze out and fess up to Rhett that he loved him, which only made him colour harder and snap his mouth shut.  
He settled on answering with something ambiguously testy. 

“You can always stay… If you want to,” Link said slowly, his eyes flicking up to meet Rhett’s only when he finished the sentence. He knew that the sausage had resonated with both of them and made them think of something else. “It’s our deal, right?”

Rhett stared at him for a bit, then nodded, looking a bit self-conscious. He looked like he didn’t know what to reply with, and Link didn’t blame him. Link almost banged his head against the wooden table with how much he regretted speaking - was this going to be a recurring thing? Him being rash and stupid with his words, trying and failing hard to sound witty? Leaving Rhett with -

And oh. Rhett didn’t respond with words, but, as Link thought about his awkwardness frantically, he felt Rhett’s leg press against his under the table. 

Link jumped up, chair scraping against the wooden floorboards as he moved away from the table and Rhett.

“Heh, I,” Link began, one hand reaching back to scratch the back of his puffy head of hair, searching for something to say. “I’m gonna go get out stuff from upstairs. If you wanna, um, I mean, you wanna go to the beach?”

 

Rhett straightened up a little in his chair and looked up at him funnily before nodding. “I’ll just put the rest of this away,” he offered kindly, making Link grin at him. 

 

-

“What’s the time, anyway?” Rhett asked when Link came back, as if the realisation that they’d woken up earlier than was ordinary just dawned on him. 

“It’s like seven,” Link said casually, and giggled when he saw Rhett’s eyes widen. 

“Dude,” Rhett said, disbelief written on his face.

“You sleepy?” Link asked, then coughed, “Tired?” he corrected himself, thinking that his first choice of words sounded silly, and opened the front door to let them both out.

“No,” Rhett answered simply, averting his eyes after he spoke. 

Link could feel the blush on his face once more, and opted to stare straight ahead at the light that the sun cast onto the surface of the sea. It was safer than looking at Rhett, didn’t make his stomach flip like every time Rhett’s features settled into a happy expression. 

The beach was less than “not overly crowded”, with only a couple of eager beavers milling about. Paired with it being early in the morning, it wasn’t overly warm either, the sun only a weak, shimmery spot on the horizon. 

“The weather coulda’ been a little better, considering it’s our last day,” Link huffed a complaint, and Rhett agreed with a chuckle. 

They set their towels down onto the sand and Link was just about to put the bottle of sunscreen down, labelling it unnecessary, when Rhett pointed to it and asked:

“You want me to do your back?” 

Link narrowed his eyes, considering. “You think we need the sunscreen?”

Rhett shrugged, tilting his head to the side a little, “Better safe than sorry.”

Link nodded and Rhett turned around slowly, presenting Link with his back. Link squeezed a bit of sunscreen into his palm and pressed it against Rhett’s shoulder blade before starting to gently rub in. He put the bottle between his thighs and squeezed them together to hold it there so he could use both of his hands on Rhett’s broad back. His hands went up to Rhett’s shoulders where he gently massaged the sunscreen in, then over the back of Rhett’s neck and down to the centre of his back. He touched Rhett with only the tips of his fingers then, running them up and down gently before moving them to the sides of Rhett’s waist, brushing them against the back of Rhett’s trunks as he dropped his hands. After a while of the only sound Link could hear being the murmur of the ocean, with Rhett having seemingly held his breath for whatever reason, Link could finally hear him inhale sharply.

A moment later, Rhett was turning around and Link was taking the sunscreen to hand it to him. With the tactile memory of Rhett’s warm skin under his hands making him smile, Link waited to feel Rhett’s own hands on his back.  
The bottle was discarded and Rhett lathered Link up - Link could feel it on his back, the amount of sunscreen Rhett put on him felt inadvertently replete.

Link didn’t say anything, didn’t even protest the cold of the substance, only waited to feel Rhett’s warm hands on himself, which he was soon able to, once Rhett spread the sunscreen around a bit more. Rhett massaged it in gently until it all seemed to have absorbed, and then ran his open palms down Link’s back one last time. 

Once his hands made it to the waistband of Link’s trunks, he kept them there, and Link stood unmoving, waiting for whatever Rhett was about to do next.  
Rhett ran one hand over the side of Link’s waist, along his waistband, and once he made it to the front, he dipped the fingers in just a little bit and traced the part of Link’s thigh that was directly under the elastic. Link shuddered at the feeling, but did his best not to react, to not accidentally move away. He bit his lip to keep any potential sounds from coming out and relaxed a bit, and Rhett pulled his hand out of Link’s trunks like nothing had happened, but he kept it there, on Link’s clothed thigh.

Link could feel him step a bit closer, the radiating warmth of his body letting Link know what he was in close proximity. Rhett placed his other hand on the small of Link’s back, and then slipped it into Link’s trunks, his palm soft and warm against Link’s behind.

Link gasped, mind in overdrive. His head snapped to his left and his right as if he were checking a busy traffic street before crossing it. There was only an old lady sunbathing to his left and a young couple doing something that looked like yoga to his far right, but still the fact that they were exposed while Rhett touched him in such a way worried him.

Rhett then leaned in a bit more, squeezing a handful of Link’s ass and humming appreciatively, making Link flush. 

When Rhett spoke, Link could feel his hot breath on his ear. “I wanna thank you for last night, bo,” Rhett said quietly, moving his fingers to the cleft of Link’s ass. 

Link flinched and turned around, Rhett’s hand slipping out of his trunks. Rhett’s expression was pure confusion when Link looked at him, and Link nearly laughed.

“There’s people here, man,” Link said incredulously, catching Rhett’s gaze travelling over his body as he licked his lips.

Rhett nodded, his eyes flicking back up to Link’s face. “No one will see,” Rhett said, his grin making Link giggle. Every nerve in Link’s body was on fire - he loved the attention, and in that moment didn’t even let himself think about how it could just be that Rhett, who’d not been with a girl in a long time, was now fixated on the things his best friend could provide. It might have been wrong, but Link didn’t mind being Rhett’s newest obsession. Rhett was his, too. 

“When we get back to the room,” Link forced himself to say, placing a palm on Rhett’s chest, being the responsible one. Rhett put his hand over Link’s and curled his fingers around it. It was getting harder and harder for Link to be the responsible one, especially when Rhett reacted to his words with an impatient groan, like he was very displeased he couldn’t get his hands on Link immediately.

“Let’s just get in the water,” Rhett said, “No one will see-”

Link must have looked absolutely scandalised - his smiling mouth dropped open and his cheeks turned a light pink, and he shook his head, releasing Rhett’s hand as he moved away. “Let’s go swimming,” Link said, almost sternly, making Rhett laugh.

“Alright, alright,” Rhett agreed, and let Link lead the way.

Swimming forward into the deep and then halfway back toward the shore, they stopped for a bit, floating and looking at the beach, which was still void of almost any people. 

Link looked over at Rhett, whose gaze was fixated on the shore. He looked calm, content. It made Link’s heart flutter. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to do when he scooped up a bit of water in his hand and flicked it at Rhett.

“Hey!” Rhett protested, blinking the water out of his eyes as Link giggled. “Whaddaya think you’re doin’?” Rhett murmured indignantly, which only made Link laugh harder. Rhett advanced toward him and sprayed him, and Link wasn’t as quick as to move away. He got water in his eyes, and produced a loud whine, immediately going to rub the salt out of his eyes vigorously. 

Rhett moved closer to him in the water, audibly concerned. “Link? Buddy? You okay-?”

Link snapped around, making a loud splash with his hand, laughing as Rhett cowered. “Sucker,” Link said triumphantly, looking at Rhett’s annoyed but smiling face, his lips puckered like he was trying to keep from laughing.

Rhett reached over, trying to make another splash, but Link grabbed him by the forearms to stop him. They wrassled for a bit, each trying to free their hands from the other’s when they were seized.

“Stop it, Neal,” Rhett warned through a laugh.

“Bet I could make you go under,” Link challenged, looking for a reason to display how strong he had recently gotten.

Rhett scoffed. “You can try.”

They had done this before, as kids, pushing each other under the surface of the water. They’d release the one who was submerged immediately - it was just the act of being able to drown the other that reinstated their dominance. 

Link slid his hands around Rhett’s shoulders, his forearms resting each on one side of Rhett’s neck, and tried to push down. Rhett struggled to keep afloat, but didn’t let it go on for long. He placed his hands underneath Link’s armpits, made him squirm, and then grabbed him by the waist, pulling him closer. 

For a moment, Link feared that their roles had been reversed and that he was about to be tasting salt water, but Rhett didn’t pull him down. He pulled him even closer, wrapping his arms around Link’s waist.  
Link took a shaky breath and put his hands back on Rhett’s shoulders, and for a few moments, they just embraced, legs working underwater to keep them afloat. 

The first two words of what Rhett said next jammed Link’s heart in his throat. 

“I love that we’re cool with foolin’ around like that,” Rhett said quietly, one hand sneaking from Link’s waist to his hip.

“Me too,” Link said, smiling at him. Rhett’s face was so close, his eyes so blue against the colour of the sea, his pink lips so inviting -

“Yeah?” Rhett asked softly, making Link’s smile widen. Rhett moved his hand up the leg of Link’s trunks and raked his fingers over Link’s thigh, making Link’s breath hitch.

“Yeah,” Link replied, trembling under Rhett’s touch, “What, uh, what were you gonna do to me at the beach if I’d let you?” Link asked, moving his legs so he could wrap them around Rhett’s hips. 

“Was thinking I could jerk you off,” Rhett said bluntly, moving his hand out of Link’s trunks to place it on his clothed dick, and palm him through the fabric, “I don’t know… See where we end up.”

Link let his eyes fluttered closed and he nodded shakily. “We should go back,” Link said, opening his eyes and disentangling himself from Rhett so that he could swim. 

Rhett’s voice was quiet, husky, “Okay,” he said quickly, and without talking much further, they started to make their way back to the shore.

-

“Where do you think Mark and Gregg are?” Link asked once they picked their towels up off the sand as an attempt to try and make casual conversation.

Rhett shrugged, looking at Link like Mark and Gregg were the last thing on his mind. “Don’t know. Probably still sleeping.”

Link nodded and picked the sunscreen up, then started making his way up the sandy slope and through a short path that led through the pines to their house. Rhett followed closely behind him. They almost walked past the building that housed the communal shower area, one Link liked to use to rinse off quickly and get rid of any excessive sand so as not to drag it into the house, when Rhett stopped directly by its entrance. 

“Hey,” he called out to Link, “C’mere.”

Link did as he was told, and sauntered over to stand next to Rhett. Rhett took him by the hand and started pulling him forward. He looked at him over his shoulder as he moved along, into the shower area. 

The room was all white tile, relatively clean with very high windows letting the sunlight stream in. It smelled of salt and pine trees, and save for a couple of shower heads protruding from the wall adjacent to the entrance and the small bench that sat in the middle of the room, it was completely empty. 

 

Rhett dropped his towel onto the bench and walked over to one of the showers. He turned a knob to let the water stream down, and put his hands under it.

“What are you doing?” Link asked from his spot by the entrance. He had been under the impression that they were rushing back into their room, and was admittedly, very impatient to do so.

“Showering,” Rhett replied casually, stepping under the stream, tipping his head back as he let the water pour over him.

Link gulped and slowly stepped closer, putting his own towel next to Rhett’s before stepping under the shower head next to Rhett’s.

“Just thought you’d like me better clean,” Rhett said. Link looked at him, and saw that his eyes were closed above a small smile. The water cascaded down his body in shimmering streams, and Link fought to tear his eyes away. 

Link hummed something unintelligible in response, making Rhett chuckle.

Link was about to turn his own shower on, but looked back at Rhett when he spoke again. “Wouldn’t want to get sand into our bed,” Rhett said nonchalantly.

Link’s heart jumped at the words, but then it seemed to completely stop when Rhett hooked his fingers under the waistband of his own shorts and unceremoniously pulled them down.

Link looked away from Rhett’s naked frame, cheeks burning. He turned the shower on and let the water cool him down, eyes firmly closed as the water came down on him. He squinted and chanced a quick look at Rhett, and gathered that Rhett had taken his swimming trunks off so he could wring them out and wash them from the sand. 

Rhett then turned around and strolled over to the bench to lay his wet trunks there. Link turned his head slightly and watched him go, watched the droplets of water slide down his back and over the slight curve of his square-shaped ass, watched that same ass move finely as Rhett walked.

Link faced the wall immediately when he thought that Rhett might be turning around. He took a deep breath and stuck his head back under the stream, trying to wash himself peacefully until he heard Rhett’s wet feet slapping against the tiles as he came nearer. He stole another quick glance at Rhett, and saw him with his eyes closed, his hands roaming all over his own body as he tried to wash any remaining salt off.  
One of Rhett’s hands trailed down his chest and to his dick, which he palmed minutely before moving onto his thighs.  
Seeing him do it, Link mirrored the action, and brought his hand to his own, still clothed dick, covering it with his hand and squeezing a little.

Link caught himself staring, but not before Rhett did. Rhett looked at him carefully, and when his eyes flicked down to Link’s hand on his slightly-obvious half-chub and back up, Link thought he could recognise a funny sort of look in his eyes. Rhett turned the shower off, and looked over at Link more intently before taking a step closer to him.

Link froze, still half under the stream, the water lightly spraying his back.

Rhett came even closer, crowding Link against the wall. He leaned in and pressed his forearm to the wall above Link’s head, using it as leverage as he loomed over Link. Link kept his eyes down, on the slightly defined muscles of Rhett’s stomach which tapered down until it met his hips, the dark trail of hair there which thickened until it met Rhett’s groin - particularly his cock, which hung long and thick between his thighs. Link gulped and tensed up when he saw Rhett’s other hand move. All Rhett did was touch Link’s waist gently for them to move an inch, and now Link could look up at him more freely without the fear of getting water in his eyes.

When Link looked up, he thought he could faint, he could die with how he felt, how his heart swelled with how close Rhett was and how the close proximity only served to arouse him further. Rhett smiled at him, and Link beamed, hoping that death wouldn’t take him until Rhett touched him.

…Which was exactly what Rhett did. He ran his fingers languidly over Link’s side, tickling him a little, making Link’s skin break out in goosebumps. 

“You sure this is okay?” Rhett asked quietly, and went on when Link shot him a questioning look, “This like, friends with benefits thing?” he stuttered saying it, which Link found incredibly endearing. 

Link gave him a wide smile and nodded, which put a small smile on Rhett’s face as well.

“You, uh,” Rhett began, and Link thought he could see a slight blush on his face, “You not afraid of like, developing feelings? I mean,” here he laughed nervously, “I mean, people always talk about that but, we’re two guys, so that would be stupid, right?”

Link bit his lip and looked down, eyes on Rhett’s sternum. “Yeah,” he replied, trying for nonchalance. 

“This is just like… All the best things without the hassle, without girls and feelings and…” Rhett rambled, “I mean. Otherwise I’d just find some random girl and… Y’know.”

Link did his best to nod. He could feel himself getting the tiniest bit angry. Where was Rhett going with this?

“And you would too, probably,” Rhett gulped, then seemed to hesitate before uttering the next word, “Right?” he asked, and Link could pick up on the curiosity in his voice.

“Right,” Link said curtly, avoiding his eyes. 

“Link?” Rhett asked, and when Link looked up he could see the worry in his face. “You okay, buddy?”

Link nodded, pausing a bit before speaking. “All of this is fun and I, uh,” he tried to reassure Rhett, while also trying not to let him in on the fact that some feelings had already been developed - if Link should care about this, it was a major sign that the things he did with Rhett went beyond sexual with him; “Gosh. I want it,” Link said, blushing a little, lips quirking up when he saw Rhett’s responding smile. “But I feel like… I don’t just wanna be your Shamu,” he said, sounding indignant now that he finally voiced his worry.

Link thought that Rhett would frown and brush him off, asking him what he expected - because that was sort of what they were. Link was Rhett’s to get off with, and Rhett was his.  
Instead, Rhett laughed, first throwing his head back and then leaning forward, pressing his forehead into the crook of Link’s neck as he laughed.

“What is it?” Link asked, giggling a little himself, reaching up tentatively to touch Rhett’s waist with his hand.

Rhett pulled away just enough to look at Link and spoke, “You’re not a Shamu stand-in, Neal,” Rhett said, cheeks round above a wide grin. 

Link rolled his eyes, wishing he’d never brought it up, wishing he’d just let Rhett do what he wanted to him. The thought was punctuated by a twitch of Link’s still hard dick which was impatiently tenting the fabric of his trunks.

Rhett pressed his nose to Link’s cheek, and Link shivered when he felt Rhett’s hot breath on his face. “You’re my best friend,” Rhett said quietly, and Link could hear the smile in his face. “You think I’d be doing this for anyone else?” he asked, and Link felt Rhett’s hand on the front of his trunks, feeling him up through the fabric. Link’s knees nearly buckled and a few ridiculously indignant thoughts like who else could Rhett jerk off - which his helpful mind immediately had a reply for - still buzzed around in his mind. Any thoughts besides the ones about Rhett and his hands on him quickly disappeared when Rhett hooked his fingers in the waistband of Link’s trunks and pulled them down.

And then, moving away so he could look Link in the eyes, Rhett got down on his knees in front of him, eyes fixated on Link’s own the entire time he was doing it. 

And oh. Link wasn’t expecting that. As Rhett dropped his gaze down to Link’s cock and took it in his hand, there was no doubt of what he was about to do, and Link’s anxious mind was itching for reassurance.

When Rhett touched his lips to the head of Link’s cock, Link took a deep breath, and quickly tried to let Rhett know that, “Rhett, ah, you don’t have to do that.”

Rhett stopped to look up at him. “You want me to stop?” he asked, waiting patiently for Link to respond.

Link’s face heated up and he bit his lip. “No,” he said bashfully, making Rhett crack a wide, pleased smile. 

Link looked at him carefully as Rhett wrapped his hand around Link more tightly and started to slowly stroke him, before bringing his lips to Link’s cock again. Link relaxed against the tiled wall with a sigh, screwing his eyes shut when Rhett leaned in to take the entire head in his mouth. 

Rhett moved his tongue around, licking against the slit, making Link fall apart. Link could see him trying to take in as much as he could, which amounted to half of Link’s dick being enveloped by Rhett’s mouth, Rhett’s lips stretched sinfully around it. He bobbed his head and worked his hand up and down in tandem to bring Link off, and Link’s loud moans reverberated against the tiled walls. 

“Wait,” Link breathed, putting one hand on Rhett’s cheek as Rhett sucked him off, “Gosh, Rhett - someone could come in.” 

Rhett pulled off with a wet pop and leaned his face into Link’s hand, still bringing him off slowly with his hand. Rhett leaned in and dragged Link’s leaking cock over his own cheek before taking it back into his mouth, looking up at Link as he continued to suck him off as if challenging him to complain again. Safe to say that Link didn’t say another word, save for flustered invocations of both Rhett’s and God’s name, which Rhett’s touch coaxed out of him.  
With the thrill of the prospect of being caught looming over them, and Rhett’s hand and mouth working perfectly to bring him off, Link knew he couldn’t last much longer.  
It was only when Rhett moaned around Link’s dick that Link took a proper look at Rhett’s face, the lustful expression there and the sultry look he was giving Link. Link trailed his gaze down Rhett’s body and almost whimpered at the sight of it, torn up with the feelings that it invoked in him, feelings that Rhett invoked. And then, as Rhett closed his eyes and moaned, Link could look down and catch a glimpse of Rhett’s own cock, which was jutting out proudly, hard and leaking, as if Rhett was enjoying sucking Link off himself. The sight caused a familiar tight feeling in Link’s core, and he thought that it would only be fair if he warned Rhett of what was about to come. 

“Rhett,” Link called breathlessly, making Rhett open his eyes immediately and look up at him. Link whimpered and put his hand in Rhett’s short hair, looking as Rhett seemed to struggle with the decision to push back into Link’s hand or take more of his dick into his mouth. Link couldn’t wait any longer, “Gonna come, bo,” he warned him, and Rhett shot him a look as if to say he understood, before closing his eyes and pushing Link’s dick into his mouth as far as he could.  
Link’s entire body trembled as he came, Rhett’s name slipping out of his mouth in moans and groans. Rhett seemed to choke on it a little and pulled away, and when he flattened his tongue under the head of Link’s cock, Link could see his come on Rhett’s tongue. Rhett was still moving his hand slowly, and Link’s dick rewarded him with another spurt, which landed half on Rhett’s tongue and half at the side of his mouth. 

Rhett then pulled off and used the back of his hand to wipe his lips as he swallowed, and Link leaned down to take his hand. “C’mon, come up here,” Link pleaded, and Rhett got up, stumbling a little from having kneeled for so long, holding onto Link’s sides to steady himself. 

 

It was weird that the safest part of Rhett Link could touch was Rhett’s dick, but Link really couldn’t complain. He used his hand to spread Rhett’s precome around and started tugging at his cock, while his other hand slid down Rhett’s waist to grab his ass. Rhett trembled, leaning his forehead in the crook of Link’s neck again, his lips, undoubtedly inadvertently, pressing against Link’s collarbone. Moments later, Rhett came all over Link’s front with a loud moan, Link jerking him off quickly as the fingers of his other hand dug into the soft skin of his ass, pulling him closer. 

“Link,” Rhett whispered, his chest heaving with heavy, uneven breaths. 

“I know,” Link said, spent, letting go of Rhett and leaning his head back against the tile. He had an incredible urge to tilt his head and plant a kiss in Rhett’s close-cropped hair. 

Link didn’t have to fight it for long, since Rhett moved his head from where he was leaning it on Link’s shoulder and straightened up a little, then used his hand to pull Link by the arm under the stream of water. Rhett’s lips, something even more tantalizing, were in Link’s line of sight now, but as tempting as they were, he knew that to press his own against them would be forbidden.

“We wasted so much water, man,” Rhett said, chuckling as he raised one hand to rub it against his buzzed head as water poured over him.

“Yeah,” Link said, closing his eyes under the stream and tipping his head back. He opened them abruptly when he felt Rhett’s big hands on his hips, and held his breath when Rhett moved his hands over Link’s chest and all the way down to his inner thighs, cleaning him up. 

“Sorry I,” Rhett began, brow furrowing, “Freakin’ jizzed all over you,” he said, finishing with a smile.

Link laughed, the muscles of his abdomen tensing up as Rhett touched him. “It’s okay,” he said, still a bit breathless, and Rhett looked up at him with the softest look in his eyes. Link felt like he could have melted and trickled down the drain with the shower water under Rhett’s gentle scrutiny. Rhett’s eyes dropped to his lips for a second, but then he leaned back a little, looking back up at Link’s eyes.

“Should go home,” Rhett said quietly, and moved away from Link. 

Link nodded, moving quickly. He stepped out of his trunks and picked them up off the floor to wash them the way he had seen Rhett wash his. After he turned the shower off, they got dressed and headed to the house in a companionable silence.

-

 

The air outside was chilly, the morning not heating up the way it usually did. Well, not weather-wise. When they arrived back at the house, it was just short of freezing.

“Brr,” Rhett acknowledged the cold, wrapping his towel around himself to warm up. 

Link’s lips quirked up in a fond smile. “Maybe we go up and get dressed before we plan for anything else?” 

Rhett turned to look at him and nodded, and Link led the way upstairs. 

Link turned to his luggage and rummaged through it for a pair of clean underpants, shorts and a t-shirt. He turned to face the wall and dropped his trunks, then shimmied into his boxers and shorts before turning to face Rhett.

Rhett was leaning back on his hands, seemingly deep in thought. Link blushed; had Rhett been looking at him?  
Rhett hadn’t changed, and Link would have scolded him about sitting on his - or, as Rhett had dubbed it, their bed - had Rhett’s swimming trunks not gotten a chance to dry off while the two of them were… in the shower.

Link cleared his throat to get Rhett’s attention, and Rhett shook his head a little, leaning forward as he sat up straighter on the bed. 

“C’mere,” Rhett said softly, and Link couldn’t help the blush that was undoubtedly spreading on his face. He pulled his shirt on and complied.

Link walked over to the bed and sat next to Rhett, who had followed him not with his eyes but seemingly with his entire body, turning so he was facing Link, one leg folded on the bed in front of him. 

“I have a question,” Rhett said, looking quite serious.

“...Okay,” Link replied, quirking an eyebrow as he waited for it. 

Rhett played with the hem of his swimming trunks, forehead lightly creasing in thought. 

“How many girls have you fucked?” Rhett asked, and his eyes roamed all over Link’s face as he waited for the answer.

Link pursed his lips, puffing his cheeks up a little as he tried to keep the laughter from escaping. He failed.

“What?” Rhett asked indignantly as Link laughed, and Link stopped laughing to give him a simple answer.

“Man, I woulda’ told you if I had,” he said, still giggling a little.

Rhett’s eyes widened and he leaned in a little, his voice down to a conspiratorial, shocked whisper, “You still a virgin?”

Link cleared his throat again, averting his eyes as he pondered the question. When he looked up at Rhett and his curious, wide eyes, he knew that he could say what he wanted, and then play it off as a joke at Rhett’s curiosity if needs be. “Well,” Link began, “I don’t know what you consider, I mean, I don’t know what counts. Dunno what last night was.”

Rhett didn’t reply that it doesn’t count, didn’t flinch as a new expression took over his face - brows knitted as if he were confused, eyes and lips smiling as if he were pleased. “You never went that far with anyone?” when he spoke, there was an added layer to it - awe. 

Link snorted, genuinely amused. “If you mean if I ever had someone suck my dick, then no, Rhett - ”

Rhett blushed a little, looking up at Link bashfully. “So, how far did you… Y’know, go?”

Link took a moment to think about it, liking the interview-like nature of it, loving the way Rhett watched him attentively. 

“Hmmm. Kissed a lot,” he said, and couldn’t help but to feel a bit shy talking about it, “But never felt like doing anything more. Second base, at most,” he said with a sort of apologetic grimace, but Rhett didn’t call him a wimp or anything similar, just nodded thoughtfully.

“Put your hands under her shirt?” Rhett asked, voice tight, and Link confirmed it with a nod. Rhett moved his hands and snuck them under the hem of Link’s shirt, keeping them on Link’s waist as he looked up at him, “Like this?” he asked sheepishly. 

Link gasped. He just looked at Rhett, searching his face for a sign that would let him know he could take this in the direction he wanted to. Rhett’s face was all nervousness and warmth, and Link scooted closer to him. Wordlessly, he pulled Rhett’s hands up, further under his shirt, until they were on his chest. 

“No,” Link said, heart beating so hard he was sure that Rhett could feel it under his palms, “Like that.”

Rhett took a deep breath and nodded, looking down at Link’s shirt in a sort of awe. He moved his hands gently to feel Link up, spreading his fingers over Link’s chest, brushing his fingers against Link’s nipples, making him gasp.

“You think that felt good for her?” Rhett asked huskily, green eyes boring down into Link’s own.

Link could barely find the strength to nod. “Y-yeah,” he stuttered, “Feels… I mean, yeah. Real good.”

Rhett leaned in, face so close Link couldn’t really see him, couldn’t think of anything else but kissing him.

“You’re my first too,” Rhett whispered.

Link’s stomach fluttered, and he cracked a small smile. “You don’t mind wasting your firsts on me?” he whispered back.

Rhett simply breathed “no,” and Link thought that Rhett was about to close the distance between them, when they were pulled apart by the unmistakeable sound of a door slamming shut down the hall, followed by loud footsteps.

Rhett’s hands slipped out from under Link’s shirt, and he turned away.

“Gosh, uh,” Link scrambled for something to say, cheeks heating up rapidly. 

“Sounds like Gregg’s awake,” Rhett noted, looking at Link as the latter stood up from the bed. Link was about to start pacing the room when Gregg pulled their door open and peeked around it.

“Mornin’,” he greeted, then seemed to take a second to have a good look at Rhett and Link. “Hope I’m not interrupting.”


	4. Chapter 4

“So,” Gregg easily made himself at home in their room, leaning against the bedpost as he looked around, “You guys gonna come down to the bar with us later?”    
  
Rhett nodded his head and Link watched him as he spoke, “Yeah, I guess.” Rhett turned his head to look at Link, and Link, whose face was still heating up and whose lips still tingled from the near-contact with Rhett’s own, shrugged and muttered, “Sure.”   
  
Rhett turned to Gregg, “We were gonna go down to the sea first, gotta make the most of our last day.”   
  
Rhett’s eyes flicked to Link, but he didn’t turn to Link for a confirmation. Even if Link didn’t get to say it, though - he agreed with Rhett. Link thought that Rhett must have figured Link would protest if he disagreed, as if Link would seriously consider not going somewhere with Rhett. 

****

“Y’all know that it’s raining?” Gregg asked, eyes glazing over Rhett and through the window. Rhett and Link both followed the direction of his gaze, and then before turning back to Gregg, shared a quick, fondly embarrassing look between them. Neither of them had noticed when it started.   
  
“Looks like barely anything, Gregg,” Rhett said, standing up from his spot on the bed. He looked at Link as he stood up and passed close by him on his way to the door. “What are you, some kinda wimp?”   
  
-   
  
Rhett’s comment resulted in Gregg shouting Rhett’s name indignantly, Rhett bolting, and Gregg chasing him downstairs. A few playful jabs and slaps on arms and hands transpired before Gregg was pacified by the sight of all the materials Mark had collected in order for them to make some sandwiches. Rhett didn’t necessarily want to eat so soon again, but he sought for a snack too, and ended up with a chip packet. Link had been idling around all along, too wound up to even laugh at the ridiculousness of his friends.    
Rhett tore the chip packet open as he walked over to Link.    
  
“Want some?” he offered, even before taking a chip himself, and Link stuck his hand in the bag with a small smile. “C’mon,” Rhett said when Link popped the chip into his mouth, and together they moved a few paces down to where the couch was.    
  
They sat together, side by side, with Rhett holding the chips between them. They shared the chips in a companionable silence, sometimes idly listening to Mark and Gregg go over every topic from skateboards to pro-wrestling. At least that’s what Link thought Rhett was doing, since he seemed content to just be sitting there, eating chips, sat in front of an old TV set that was turned off.    
Link thought that Rhett must have been bored, and while Link himself was enjoying pretty much the same  _ boring _ things, there was something that, for him, spiced the situation up significantly. The press of Rhett’s warm side against his own, the way his tantalising lips parted or pursed as he ate, the way his hand would sometimes brush against Link’s when they reached for the chips at the same time. It almost felt like a really awkward movie date, with rowdy spectators sitting behind them, daylight filtering through the windows and into the theatre, and no movie playing. No movie could have paralleled the feelings looking at Rhett evoked in Link in that moment, anyway.    
  
Rhett was the first to speak. Turning to Link, which put their faces incredibly close (and yet no effort was made by either of them to move away), he spoke casually: “They say that the water is warmer when it rains. I don’t know if it’s just an illusion, that because it’s cold outside the water seems warm, or if it’s something about the sea taking real long to cool down, but it’s something.”   
  
Link cracked a smile, and spoke more quietly than he usually would have, the close proximity making it feel intimate, “We swam in the Cape Fear in like, hale, man.”   
  
Rhett laughed, looking down at his lap. He fished for another chip before looking at Link. “That’s true,” he said, and then his entire face lit up, making Link’s heartbeat pick up its pace. “Hey,” Rhett said, and Link could see that he had just come up with a great idea, “You wanna go explorin’? Ask some locals for if there’s anything interesting around?”   
  
The small smile Link permanently wore only widened.    
  
Rhett mirrored it, his eyes flicking to Link’s lips and back momentarily before he pulled away, standing up energetically.   
  
“We’re going swimming in the rain,” Rhett announced to the room, and Link scrambled to get up.   
  
“Gonna go change, bo,” Link told Rhett, placing a hand on his arm momentarily before moving away, and only felt embarrassed about letting the nickname slip when he saw Gregg’s responding smirk.    
  
The way he had carefully warned Rhett came as something natural, and as soon as he realised what he did - which was a dozen paces after, once he was faced with the stairwell - it registered as  _ probably weird. _ He schooled his grimace into something neutral and looked over his shoulder at Rhett, who stood frozen, looking after him as Link climbed the stairs, while Gregg and Mark talked about being relieved to have a reason to stay inside with a couple of beers. The last traces of conversation Link heard were something about his and Rhett’s stamina - which made his blood run cold - but then Gregg spoke on the topic further and Link realised that Gregg was talking about surfing.

****

-   
  
When Link returned downstairs, ready for the beach, Rhett was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.   
  
All of Rhett’s attention immediately turned to Link, and Link had to fight the urge to smile like a goof.    
  
“Hey,” Rhett said softly, “You ready?”    
  
Link nodded, and together they made their way back out to the beach. 

****

Link wanted to kiss him from the moment they met at the bottom of the stairs, all the way until they made it to the beach. It was making him crazy, especially with the newfound hope that Rhett might actually want Link to kiss him, which seemed entirely too good to be true, but as it turned out, Link was a fool who was happy to rely on that sliver of hope.    
  
Once they made it out of the shade and protection of the pine trees and into the precipitation, Rhett spread his towel over his head, stretching his long arms as far as they would go as he held the towel up.    
  
“Link,” Rhett called, nearing him so that Link was under the towel too. Link got the message and scrambled to get close to him, and was almost burnt with the pleasant warmth that he could feel emanating from Rhett when his bare skin pressed against Rhett’s own.    
  
Link looked up at Rhett in awe as they walked along, the way Rhett was vigilantly trying to protect him from even a single drop of rain, as if Link was made of sugar and would dissolve at the slightest contact with water. He wished Rhett would stop looking ahead at the beach and the houses along it, but that he would instead bring the towel in, shielding them from view of anyone who dared go out in the rain. Link wished that Rhett would close the space between them, and that in their warm, pleasantly scented towel-cocoon, Rhett would kiss him. 

****

Instead, Link almost tripped over his own feet as he looked at Rhett, and decided to play it off as nothing had happened. He too looked ahead, his own towel pressed to his chest, and together they tip-toed along the beach and down to the bar. Link wasn’t sure what Rhett had in mind, but let Rhett lead the way.   
  
Once they made under the small roof of the bar, Rhett set the towel down, around Link’s shoulders.    
“Hold this,” Rhett instructed, wrapping it around Link like a cape, and Link almost called him out on it and laughed at the fact that Rhett had basically tucked him in, but then relented, and snuggled into the warm towel.    
The girl at the bar was sitting in the corner of her space, with a paperback in hand. She looked up when Rhett approached and set her book down before standing up.   
  
“How can I help you?” she asked, and Link could see Rhett pondering the question for a moment.    
  
“Well, we were gonna go exploring,” Rhett said carefully, “Only it’s raining and we kinda don’t wanna get lost.”   
  
The girl gave him a patient smile. “Aha. Okay. Well,” she said, placing her palms on the counter, “There’s really not much here to explore. It’s miles of sand, dude. No hidden grottos or brooks that babble through the forest and stream into the ocean. The forest is pine, and pine, and some more pine, and then the road.”   
  
Rhett seemed to be taken aback by her sardonic answer, and Link couldn’t help but to snicker. Rhett turned around to look at him and quirked a questioning, almost offended eyebrow, and Link rolled his eyes at him.    
  
“Thank you,” Link said to the girl, and began his trek down to the shore. He could hear Rhett mumble something to the girl as well, and then the unmistakeable sound of footsteps on wet sand.   
  
Link spun around, the towel Rhett had wrapped him in flaring around him a little. “Let’s go!” Link said loudly, enthusiastically, to Rhett who was walking slowly, confusedly, about a dozen feet behind him.    
  
“Where are we going?” Rhett asked, jogging to fully catch up with Link. Link shrugged the towels off and dropped them onto the sand, knowing they’ll get wet, but trying not to care.    
  
“Gonna do what we told Mark and Gregg we were gonna do,” Link said simply, “Swimming in the rain.”

Rhett’s mouth formed an  _ o _ shape and he looked at Link, who only smiled at him. A moment later, Link took off toward the water, running into it with a splash and diving in as soon as he could. When he emerged from the water, he could see Rhett standing on the shore with the water up to his ankles.   
  
“C’mon, the water’s great,” Link said, unable to rein in the giggles. Swimming in the rain wasn’t something he thought he was ever going to do, and yet there he was, before Rhett, floating in the ocean as the rain came upon them. Rhett moved forward until he could no longer stand, and then swam toward Link with determination. 

****

Link tilted his head up and closed his eyes, letting the rain patter against his face. He barely had a chance to react before Rhett was in his space, his arms suddenly on Link’s waist as he pulled him to himself. Link opened his eyes and blinked at Rhett, and Rhett looked back at him for a moment before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss on his lips.    
  
Link closed his eyes upon impact, and had just begun to relax - well, physically, mentally he was willing to give up floating and breathing so long as he remembered how to kiss - when Rhett pulled away abruptly. Link would have labeled it almost violently.    
  
“Crap,” Rhett muttered, and Link stared at him dumbly, trying to find the words to say. “Oh, crap,” Rhett repeated, moving backwards. “Sorry,” Rhett said, and Link didn’t even have a chance to try and move before Rhett was saying: “I gotta go,” looking around frantically as he avoided Link’s gaze.   
  
The most bizarre sight Link had ever seen was Rhett swimming those few paces until he could stand, then treading water and moving through it quickly as it sloshed around him, trying to slow him down.    
  
“Rhett!” Link, after stupidly having waited, finally called after him in a shaky voice. He was certain that the water carried his voice over to Rhett, but Rhett didn’t turn back, didn’t spare him a single glance, just continued on his shocking, ridiculous jog over the beach and into the thickening pine.    
  
Link exhaled and looked around himself, before looking up to the heavens, his mind nor body not having completely caught up with everything yet. His mind was still in the moment Rhett had kissed him, and he could still feel the soft, warm lips on his own. He reached up to touch his lips with a cold, wet hand, and kept it there for a moment. It wasn’t long before he shook himself out of it - he needed to find Rhett, to stop him freaking out. To kiss him again, if Rhett allowed him to.    
  
Link struggled to get out of the water as fast as he could. Their towels were on the sand, with Rhett having forgotten to pick them up, and Link bent to take them before making his swift ascent back to the house.    
  
-

****

The first person Link saw when he opened the door was Gregg.    
  
“Hey,” Gregg greeted jovially, and Link could smell the faint scent of beer on him.   
  
“Hi,” Link said quickly, rushing into the house when Gregg sidestepped to let him in. Gregg didn’t close the front door, and then Link noticed that sometime while he was out with Rhett Gregg had donned a shirt. Mark emerged from the downstairs bathroom and greeted him, and Gregg elaborated on them being dressed up, or what constituted as being dressed up in their case.

****

“We’re going down to the bar,” Gregg said bluntly, letting Mark out of the house as he explained to Link that: “We’re tired of one type of alcoholic beverage.”   
  
“You’re outta beer,” Link guessed, impatient gaze flicking up to the staircase as he itched to climb it, thinking Rhett had to be in their room.   
  
“Yes,” Gregg laughed, “There’s gonna be this  _ sunset _ party at the terrace later. Not much sun out, but I ain’t gonna try and take away the people’s right to get shitfaced. You should come. Bring your  _ bo.”  _ _  
_   
Gregg exited the house and closed the door before Link even got to open his mouth, let alone think of a clever response at the jab. As soon as the door was closed, it only took Link a second to snap around and run up the stairs and to the room he and Rhett shared. Once in front of their door, Link took a second to even his breathing out, and then opened the door, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.    
  
He looked around the room, and couldn’t see Rhett. Without any reservations, Link swung the door to the bathroom open, then entered the hallway through it. He checked every room on the floor, and then went down to the ground floor and nearly checked every cupboard. Rhett was nowhere to be seen.    
  
-   
  
Link could barely tamp down on his worry and confusion as he paced around the house. Once the sun was about to set, he figured that it would be better if he took a break and got out of the house. Besides, if Rhett wasn’t in the house, he had to be outside.    
  
Link took a hot shower in an attempt to warm up his now aching limbs, did his going-out routine which meant shaving his face, brushing his teeth, doing his hair and putting on the one nice button-up he’d brought just in case. Bottoms were baggy cargo shorts, and on his feet a pair of flip-flops.    
  
The rain had stopped since the last time he’d looked outside, and the air was cool but pleasantly fresh. Link made his way to the terrace the bar and restaurant shared where quite a few people were milling about, moving as if in some sort of dream, unable to really register anything that was happening around him.    
  
There were beanbags and benches decorated with colourful cushions lining the walls, and Link took to a bench in the corner to plop himself down. A waitress spotted him and approached him, carrying a tray of small glasses filled halfway with what looked to be lots of ice and Coca Cola probably mixed with something alcoholic.    
  
“Hello,” she said, giving him a polite smile, “Would you like anything to drink?” she asked, bringing the tray forward slightly.    
  
Link piped up with a quick, “Orange juice, please,” before she had a chance to suggest whatever it was she was offering, or anything alcoholic, for that matter. He wasn’t sure how his body would accept the alcohol - he might end up sobbing down on the beach for all he knew. He spotted Mark a few bean bags down, getting up from one as he held onto his stomach, probably on his way to empty the contents of it. The girl who had been sitting at his arm got up to help him, and together they stumbled down the stairs of the terrace and out of Link’s sight.   
  
Link couldn’t spot Gregg, so he lazied around, watching people dance in groups, being very careful not to look at the couples that grinded all up on each other, and being even more careful about not letting his mind wander in the direction of what he would do if Rhett were there. 

****

It was just when Link was thinking about how he should stop thinking about Rhett - but then again how he hoped Rhett wasn’t in some sort of a dangerous situation, and that after all, he’d give anything to have him there - that he felt someone ease into the spot next to him in the bench. He opened his mouth to say he didn’t want company even before he turned to see who it was, and nearly jumped up when he finally turned and saw him.   
  
“Where the heck have you been?” Link exclaimed, making Rhett flich.   
  
Rhett grimaced and Link could see that he was trying to choose his next words, which Link had no patience for.   
  
“I don’t wanna know,” Link said, still very angry and knowing his voice conveyed it, “Why did you leave me there? Why did you run away like - “   
  
“I’m sorry I kissed you,” Rhett cut him off, a bit too loudly for his own comfort, it seemed, because after blurting it out he kept looking around to check if he’d been overheard. “I didn’t want to do it,” Rhett said, making the angry expression on Link’s face fall away only to be replaced with something way more pained.    
  
Link gulped, then opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the words within himself to reply.    
  
Rhett just kept talking, either not noticing Link’s reaction or deciding not to make things weirder by bringing it up if he did notice. “It just got kind of hard to keep reminding myself that when I… Do those other things with someone, I’m not supposed to kiss them. You.”   
  
Link felt like his heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach. “Okay,” he said quietly, looking down as tears threatened to prickle at his eyes. All of his hopes had been extinguished, and now he would have to tell Rhett that he couldn’t go on with their arrangement - Rhett’s kisses and the possibility of Rhett’s love would always be there, out of his reach, and he’d do better leaving Rhett than torturing himself with walking the line.   
  
Link was looking down, trying to piece things together in his mind and making no sense of anything when Rhett nudged his arm. “Hey,” he said softly, “I got you a drink.” Link looked over and saw that Rhett held two identical cocktail glasses, one in each hand. Link tentatively took one, trying to take a long, slow, calming breath through his nose and not let Rhett hear it.   
  
“Thank you,” Link said. He took a small sip, and finally looked up at Rhett. Rhett was already looking at him, and then he spoke:   
  
“No problem. I came here to see if you’d be here, y’know. I wanted to ask if you can forgive me,” Rhett said, and Link’s brow scrunched up in confusion. Rhett just went on, “It was stupid to kiss you without askin’ you first. Hope it won’t change things between us.”   
  
Link took a long sip of his drink and didn’t react at all at first, but the fact that he left Rhett hanging gnawed on him until he finally spoke, “No.”   
  
Rhett let out a quiet laugh, “Good,” he said, “I kinda got used to seeing you naked,” he said, and laughed when he saw Link choke on his drink.   
  
“You okay?” Rhett asked, and Link coughed a few times.    
  
“Yeah, uh,  _ what?” _ _  
_   
Rhett shrugged, overtly casual. “I’m just saying. I mean you look nice and all. Got some nice muscles over there. And I like your hands,” Rhett’s voice got quieter, “And you’ve got a real nice dick.”   
  
Rhett had leaned in a little and lowered his voice to almost a whisper, and even if someone passed in front of them Link doubted they could pick up on the thread of conversation due to the very loud music that boomed from the speakers.    
  
As much as it surprised and frenzied Link to be hearing it, he wanted Rhett to go on. “What are you talking about?” he whispered, face heating up.   
  
Rhett gave him a sly smile, “Y’know how it is… When you see a guy like that, for the first time, and you think it’s gonna be weird… But by now I’m like, man enough to admit. You’ve got it all, brother. You’re really handsome, just, objectively speaking,” here he paused, looking away, and murmured, as if to himself, “Beautiful.”   
  
Link looked at him with narrowed eyes, regarding him carefully. He took another small sip of his drink and set it aside, and called Rhett’s name quietly, making Rhett’s head snap back around to face him.   
  
“You wanna go take a walk with me?” Link asked, making Rhett straighten up in his seat. Link hoped that Rhett’s nervousness was paired with anticipation, and not dread.   
  
“What do you mean?”   
  
Link shrugged. “You wanna go somewhere?” he asked, not adding the  _ “...alone, just the two of us?” _ out loud.    
  
Rhett looked at him for a bit, lips parted and eyes wide open, blushing underneath the colourful lights. He blessed Link with a nod, and together they stood up and made their way down to the beach. A moonlit walk along the beach, with a smiling Rhett by his side, was for Link the stuff of dreams, something he still couldn’t quite take in.    
  
They walked side by side for a bit until Rhett spotted a group of large rocks halfway on land and halfway descending into the sea, and they sat somewhere in the middle of the formation, their toes in the water and the rest of them safe and dry up on one of the bigger, smoother rocks.    
  
The moonlight shimmered on the calm surface of the sea, and shone a warm light into Rhett’s eyes. Link looked up at him from his place on the rock, and the fact that he was shorter than Rhett - and able to say that he always had been - reminded him of the times they had sat on those two rocks in the cow pasture, playing a game of questions and answers. That seemed so long ago. Link wasn’t overly nostalgic, he liked his life now - he still had Rhett by his side, but he was beginning to wonder when things had become so jumbled up.   
  
Then, Rhett leaned his head on Link’s shoulder, and all the worries disappeared. Link reined in a surprised gasp, and after a moment’s hesitation, shuffled a little closer so that Rhett could rest his head on his shoulder more comfortably.    
  
He was holding his breath, and tried to focus on something else. In the distance, he could hear the faint beats and voices to a renowned song, a few lines of which he said under his breath.    
  
However, when the chorus began, he let himself sing along quietly,   
_  
_ _ “ _ _ It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you, _ _  
_ _ There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do.” _

****

Down at his side, he could hear Rhett say, “I love your voice.” Link also noticed that somewhere during the time he started singing, Rhett’s hand had found Link’s own and was caressing it. Very gently, Rhett took hold of his hand, running his fingers up and down under Link’s palm idly.   
  
“Yeah?” Link breathed shakily, and Rhett nodded before tilting his head up to look at him.   
  
“Yeah,” Rhett said, lips pulled up into a small smile. Rhett looked at him. And looked at him. And looked at him. And Link was just about to lean down when Rhett pushed up, pressing his lips against Link’s, keeping them there for a moment. Link leaned in, deepening Rhett’s sweet kiss, savouring the feeling of kissing his best friend, away from the rest of the world, on a moonlit beach.    
  
Rhett pulled away, opening his eyes, looking at Link as he awaited a reaction.   
  
Link could barely find it in himself to speak. He felt as if Rhett had torn the breath right out of his lungs with the kiss, and first took a few moments to breathe in deeply.   
  
“Did you want to do that?” Link asked quietly, remembering their first kiss, and how much Rhett tried to convince that he hadn’t wanted it. Rhett seemed to think about it for a bit, and it was Link’s turn to search for a reaction on Rhett’s face.    
  
Rhett finally gave him a small smile, “Not sure,” he said, and Link was about to get cross with him, when Rhett leaned in again and whispered, “But this time I’ll make sure I want to,” before he kissed him again. Link wrapped his hands around Rhett’s waist and pulled himself closer, not thinking about much but the feeling of having Rhett as close as he could have him, and not just physically.

Link opened his mouth and prodded Rhett’s lips with his tongue. Making out was something that usually involved a lot of mental exercise, as Link panickedly tried to maneuver his tongue inside any girl’s mouth and try to make sure that she thought he was a good kisser. With Rhett, it was like a whole ‘nother world. He wasn’t at all self-conscious, there was no place for himself in his own mind, it was fully occupied by Rhett. And Rhett kissed perfectly.   
  


Link was the first to break their kiss, and he did it only so he wouldn’t risk suffocating. They parted with breathless smiles, and Rhett’s hands came up to Link’s freshly-shaven face, and he ran his fingers over Link’s jaw. Rhett pecked him a few more times, and Link returned the favour, until they finally settled down, foreheads pressed together as they tried to catch their breaths in tandem.    
  
With no touching came talking, and Link knew he was going to say something wrong, but he still felt the need to say some things. “I don’t know what this is, Rhett,” Link said, pulling away a little, “You’re the only guy that ever did it for me.”   
  
Rhett smiled and pulled him back in, hugging him. “You’re the only person that ever did it for me.”    
  
Link could hear his own heartbeat. He smiled to himself, making a mental note to squeeze every last detail about that out of Rhett later - “ever” seemed like he had a long time to consider it.   
  
“Does that have to mean we’re gay?” Link asked, genuinely curious.   
  
“We don’t gotta be anything you don’t want, bo. But for me, I feel like I know it, and I just wanna stop fighting it.”   
  
Link nodded. “You’re right,” he said, marvelling at how clever his best friend was. “That’s good,” he added as an afterthought, “I can’t believe I’m gay.”   
  
Rhett huffed out a laugh and broke the hug so that he could lean back a little. “Can’t believe it? Really, Neal, you talk as if you haven’t seen me…”   
  
Link giggled, making Rhett laugh. Tentatively, Rhett let go of Link so that he could lean his head on Link’s shoulder again. He looked over to the ocean as he spoke, and Link looked in the same direction.   
  
“I feel so weird about it,” Rhett said quietly, “Not a bad weird, I guess. I mean, I used to think it was bad. I’ve been feelin’ it for a while but it’s just like… You know how everyone will get these weird thoughts they didn’t ask for sometimes? I used to look at you and think. Man. And then you touched me and I just…”   
  
“I love you,” Link finished for him, and at the same time said one of his own truths.   
  
“Exactly. I mean,” Rhett laughed a little, and it broke Link’s heart with how tearful it sounded, “I do. I love you.”   
  
Link leaned his head on Rhett’s own, listening as Rhett’s breath hitched. “And I know what you mean. I can’t believe it either, never thought it could be me. But I knew. I love you more than anything, Link, but I… Fuck. What am I gonna do when we go back home? My dad’s gonna kill me.”   
  
Link shook his head, holding his breath as his own eyes filled with tears. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Rhett’s hair. “He’ll have to go through me first,” he said, making Rhett tilt his head up and smile at him.   
  
-   
  
They agreed to make their way back to the house, since the night was getting darker and colder. They walked along the beach in silence, and Rhett had accidentally bumped Link’s hand before taking it into his own.   
  
Once they were in front of the house, they let go of each other’s hands. Link gave Rhett a quick peck in the doorway, distracting him from unlocking the door and making him laugh. They stumbled into the house laughing in between kisses.   
  
“Gonna go up to bed,” Link informed Rhett casually.   
  
Rhett hummed and stepped aside, “I’m just gonna get a glass of water,” he said, walking away. Pausing in front of the sink, he looked at Link and said, “Wait for me?”    
  
Link smiled and nodded - he knew that Rhett needed a few minutes to himself, and Link was happy to give him the time. However, them parting ways now reminded him of the way Rhett had bolted when he’d first kissed Link, and Link hung around for a few extra moments out of curiosity.   
  
“Can I ask you something?” Link asked, moving closer and leaning onto one of the counters.    
  
Rhett nodded, and Link spoke, “Why’d you run? I’d like to think I was smooth, but it was probably obvious that I wanted you to kiss me.”    
  
Rhett stared at him, looking dumbfounded. “No, it was not obvious. And why the heck didn’t ya do it, then?” he asked, sounding almost indignant.   
  
It made Link laugh - it was incredibly easy to look back on it in good spirits, “What do you mean why did’t I - ? We were supposed to be just like, experiment buddies.”   
  
Rhett snorted, nearing Link a little. They gravitated towards each other again, like they couldn’t stay away.    
  
“I stayed in the car,” Rhett said, “Had a bit of an existential crisis. I mean, it’s different when I think I just wanna make love to someone and when I realise I wanna marry them - “   
  
Link’s jaw dropped, and he stared at Rhett for what felt like a good while. Link’s parted lips pulled up into a dazed smile, his eyes wide as he looked at Rhett.   
What kind of words were those - was Link dreaming?

“Shit,” Rhett said, cheeks reddening almost instantly, “Crap,” he added as a mellow addition to the first curse word, as if realising what he’d said. “Go to sleep,” he told Link then, unable to look him in the eyes.   
  
Link wanted to laugh, but was too elated to do so - all he could do was look at Rhett.    
  
_ “Rhett,” _ Link began, but Rhett was adamant on not listening. He ignored Link, rummaging through the cupboards for a clean glass. After only three days of four guys occupying the space, all the glasses were in the sink, and Rhett settled for a clean mug to drink his water from. “I’ll wait for you,” Link said, walking backwards in the direction of the staircase. Rhett mumbled something noncommittal in reply, making Link laugh. He ascended the stairs slowly, thinking about how many turns their relationship seemed to have taken in such a short time. And the current state of it was so good, it hadn’t settled in as real in Link’s mind yet. But Rhett was real, he was downstairs, and soon he would come up, and climb into Link’s bed, where he belonged.    
  
Link did his bedtime routine languidly, and had just finished brushing his teeth when the door behind him opened, and in came Rhett. Link turned around, leaning back against the sink as Rhett approached him and greeted him with a slow kiss.    
  
“Link,” Rhett began nervously, but looked determined to get out whatever it was he had to get out, “What I said about telling my dad… I don’t even care what he has to say but… You’re the reason I wanna tell him, and everyone else,” he rambled, “If you wanna be that reason.”   
  
Link looked at him curiously, “What do you mean?”   
  
Rhett took a deep breath before speaking. “You wanna be my boyfriend?”   
  
Rhett seemed to hold his breath, then - and Link got it. He understood why Rhett even asked in the first place - he thought it was going to be a hard decision. Their love wasn’t an easy one by any definition. But really, nothing had ever been easier for Link.   
Link put his hands on the sides of Rhett’s head and pulled him down for a lingering kiss. When he paused to catch his breath, he whispered a quick, “Of course,” trying to make it sound as solemn as he knew it to be, and then dived right back in for another kiss. Rhett wrapped his arms around him and pressed him against the sink, and soon things were heating up pretty quickly. Giddy with excitement and something Link could only soppily describe as love, Link couldn’t stay serious for too long.   
  
“You gonna make love to me?” he teased - though it was a fair question, one he wanted an answer to.   
  
Rhett huffed out a laugh and smirked. “Neal…” he warned, backing up a little. Link could see that their arousal was shared when he chanced a look at the front of Rhett’s pants.    
  
“Or are you gonna take the top bunk?” Link asked, fake pouting, and Rhett’s smile widened.   
  
“Where else could I sleep?” he asked, feigning innocence. He pressed Link up against the sink more when he leaned over to get his own toothbrush. Rhett never took his eyes off Link as he got his toothbrush, their faces incredibly close until Rhett got it and moved away.   
The situation in Link’s pants was getting out of hand, and he squirmed out from underneath Rhett to make it to the bathroom door.    
  
“Just hurry up,” Link said, opening the door to their room.   
  
“Deal,” Rhett said, smiling.   
  
Link stripped quickly, not bothering to fold his clothes. He put them in a pile on top of the dresser, and hesitated for a moment whether he should keep his boxers on or not before getting rid of those as well. He climbed into bed, lying down and listening to Rhett moving around the bathroom. It seemed like he only got seconds of introspective thought in before Rhett was opening the bathroom door and turning the bathroom light out, plunging the entire floor in darkness.    
  
Link sat up a little, waiting for Rhett, the covers he pulled up over himself keeping him warm and decent. Rhett passed by Link and went straight for the ladder that led to the top bunk, making Link sit up straighter.   
  
“Rhett?” he called, shocked, “You’re not really gonna-” there was a time to joke, but not a time like this, where Link was lying in his bed naked, ready for Rhett to take him.   
  
Rhett laughed and climbed down, and when he did, he held a familiar whale-shaped plushie in his hands. “Don’t worry. He misses me, is all,” Rhett said, tossing the plushie onto the bed next to Link. He then stripped off all his clothes save for his boxers, and sat on the edge of the bed. Link took his hand and pulled him up, and he climbed on top of Link, straddling him.   
  
Link took a deep breath. Looking up at Rhett, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. He took a look at the plushie next to him and let out a laugh, and then turned back to Rhett, still smiling. He took Rhett by the waist and Rhett took it as a cue to lean down a little, pressing close to Link. Link gasped, feeling Rhett’s crotch rub against his through the thin blanket. Link leaned up to kiss him, “You’re so funny,” he whispered to Rhett, “And so handsome,” he said with a smile, “Beautiful,” he teased again, using a word Rhett had used to describe him.   
  
“I can’t take this,” Rhett said, shaking his head, burying it into the crook of Link’s neck. “Just let me suck you off or something,” he murmured, making Link laugh. His laughter died down and was reborn in a groan when Rhett slid his hand over the blanket down Link’s body, palming his dick through the fabric.    
  
“Rhett,” Link whispered, and Rhett kissed his neck.   
  
“Yeah?”    
  
“I want you to fuck me,” Link said, and Rhett raised his head a little, just so he could look at him.   
  
“Link,” Rhett whispered, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “What happened to making love?”    
Link laughed loudly, and pulled Rhett down for another kiss.    
  
“You know when I said I didn’t wanna be like the plushie you hump,” Link began, and Rhett hummed in confused affirmation. “I lied.”   
  
Rhett’s brows scrunched up in a frown and Link just smiled at him, pulling him in closer so he could whisper, “Take off your clothes.”   
  
Rhett complied almost immediately, pressing a hard kiss to Link’s lips before standing up from the bed so he could pull his boxers down. He left them at the foot of the bed, and with his eyes on Rhett’s hard cock, Link slid down the bed a little until he was lying on his back, and then pulled the blanket away, tossing it to the side where it folded over Shamu. Maybe it would be better if Shamu didn’t see this, after all.    
  
“Jesus, Link,” Rhett let out a broken moan, one hand going up to cover his mouth as the other went down to his crotch, where he cupped his balls and then moved up to stroke his own cock as he looked at Link.   
  
“C’mere,” Link said, unable to take his eyes off Rhett. Rhett came back into the bed, straddling Link like he had before, while they weren’t naked. “No,” Link said, bashful. “Come up here,” he said, “I want it in my mouth.”   
  
Rhett let out a groan and moved forward carefully, stopping when his ass was somewhere around Link’s chest, careful not to sit on him. Rhett grasped one of the boards from the top bunk above them for balance, and Link used his hands to pull him in by the hips.    
  
Link first pumped him with his hand, looking up at him the entire time. He leaned up just a little to take the head of Rhett’s cock into his mouth, and moaned at the taste. He didn’t find it unpleasant at all, especially with the way Rhett was moaning, saying Link’s name like Link was the best person in the universe.    
Rhett’s hips twitched involuntarily and he whimpered, then pulled back a little, thinking he’d done something Link didn’t like. Link choked on a moan and used his hands to pull Rhett in by the ass, which pushed Rhett’s cock as far as it would go up his throat. Rhett let out a series of high-pitched sounds when Link’s nose touched the trail of hair above his cock, and Link pulled Rhett’s hips in and then moved away a little, hoping Rhett would get the message. Tentatively, Rhett thrust up into Link’s mouth a little, making Link hum appreciatively around him.   
  
“Link,” Rhett began, breathless. “I can’t last,” he warned him and Link pushed him gently, making Rhett pull out. Rhett immediately moved back down Link’s body, kissing him, worshipping his body until he made it to Link’s cock.   
  
Link squirmed a little, moving away. “Hold on, don’t,” Link said, and Rhett moved his hand away. Link turned onto his front, unable to help the groan he let out when he inadvertently rubbed against the mattress below.    
  
He could feel Rhett’s eyes on him, and pushed his ass up a little, beckoning Rhett closer. Rhett let Link take the lead, using his hands to stroke Link’s hips and knead the flesh of his ass. Link reached over and took Rhett’s cock into his hand, spreading the spit and precome around, guiding it into the cleft of his ass. Link relaxed a little into the pillows, pushing his ass up for Rhett to take.    
  
“Fuck me,” Link said, “Hump me like you would if no one was watching you.”   
Rhett seemed to get the message, and spread Link’s ass cheeks with his big hands, kneading them a little before thrusting up into the cleft of his ass. Link moaned, one of his hands reaching down to jerk himself off while he held onto the sheets with the other. Rhett soon got the hang of it, pushing the globes of Link’s ass together around his dick as he fucked into him.    
The pressure on Link’s perineum and the rough thrusts against his most sensitive spot in time with his own hand which worked to bring him off brought Link to the edge pretty soon, and when Rhett grasped him harder and started fucking into the cleft of his ass faster, Link spilled all over his chest and the sheets beneath them with a loud moan.    
Wrecked, lying on his front, he pushed his hips up still, murmuring dirty things for Rhett to get off to, and was soon rewarded by Rhett spilling all over the small of his back and down his ass. Before he pulled off completely, Rhett used his own hand to guide the head of his cock to Link’s hole, and just the smallest of teasing touches there was enough to get Link to shiver all over. Rhett pulled away then, panting, and Link caught his eye over his shoulder and smiled breathlessly. Rhett smiled back, leaning down to press a kiss and a small nip to Link’s ass.    
Link turned over onto his side and Rhett settled next to him in bed, wrapping his arms around him possessively, his hands on Link’s taut abdomen. No words were needed, they’d spoken enough for the day. Rhett ran his fingers over Link’s front idly, making Link squirm a little, and with smiles on their faces, they drifted off together.

****

-

****

Their things were packed up pretty fast, thrown into the trunk haphazardly for their future selves to take care of. The last inch of space in the trunk was occupied by a single white sock of Gregg’s, unpacked and unpaired. It said enough about the state of their luggage. Once they piled into the car, they were on the road again. Gregg was driving while Mark suffered from his hangover in the passenger seat, and Rhett and Link got to share the back seat. They leaned against one another in the middle, Shamu sitting next to the window on Link’s side.    
  
“Oh, Mark,” Gregg piped up once they had made it onto the highway. “Show them the photos!”   
  
It took a bit of convincing - but Mark did it. He dug them out of the glove compartment and handed them over to the back seat. There were quite a few photos of the seaside and one of the house from the outside, showing Gregg to be quite the artist with a camera. They finally made it to some photos with characters in them, and most of those were Gregg, who apparently asked passers-by or Mark to take a snapshot of him in front of every landmark around their resort.    
  
There was one photo in which two surfers were visible, but only from a distance. Rhett and Link knew it was the two of them, but only because they’d been there. There was, however, one photo which Link liked a lot, in which Gregg posed with the two of them. Link distinctly remembered Mark taking it.   
  
“You look so tough,” Rhett said, making Link scoff. “You do! And your muscles are really showing,” he commented quietly.   
  
Link smiled and ran a finger over Rhett’s torso on the photo, “You look the best. Like you’re not even trying, and it’s good.”   
  
Link looked at Rhett and mirrored the smile he found on Rhett’s face. The same love-struck smile must have stayed on his face when he faced front, and caught Gregg’s eye in the rearview mirror.   
  
“Well, well, well,” Gregg said, as if he were pleasantly shocked. “It finally happens.”   
  
“What finally happens?” Rhett asked from beside Link, frowning.   
  
“Link gave you a brojob, didn’t he?” Gregg asked, and Mark seemed to rouse from the grave.   
  
“What is this, now?” Mark asked, looking over at Gregg.    
  
Link looked at Rhett, and could see him blushing. He could feel his own face heating up.    
  
“Dude, Link totally gave Rhett a brojob,” Gregg paused, then burst into hearty laughter, and Link could see him struggling to keep his eyes on the road. Gregg couldn’t resist turning back to have a look at them, still laughing, “Or should I say,  _ bo _ job.”

****

Link had never been overcome with the urge to punch someone, but he thought Rhett would be. When he turned to Rhett, though, his boyfriend was smiling.    
  
Mark turned around to look at them, and his mouth dropped open. His eyes widened, and Link was pretty sure even his nostrils flared.   
  
“Oh shit,” Mark exclaimed, laughing, “He totally fucking did!”   
  


  
  


  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for reading! <3
> 
> the song Link sings is, of course, Toto's [Africa](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY)
> 
> — find me on [tumblr](https://www.rhincoln.tumblr.com)


End file.
